Interviews with Zied Mhirsi

Zouhair Yahyaoui is a young Tunisian Internet dissident we call them, who created a blog, or a platform, or website called Takriz. And they basically expressed the suffering of the young Tunisians and thirst for freedom and democracy. And it was the very first time we could see the possibility of a political activism and open criticism against the [Former Tunisian President Zine el Abidine] Ben Ali regime. At some point of the mid ´90s Ben Ali managed to silence everybody. At that time, Internet was not present.

So he thought, I guess, he was in control. But with this guy and a bunch of other people writing under pseudonyms they managed to shake things up and allow a lot of people to read and know another voice and another opinion about the Ben Ali regime. He ended up being tracked by police. They didn´t know where from where he was posting. It was, like catch– they were trying to catch him. I mean, for quite some time. And then he ended up in jail and he died after he got released from jail with a heart attack. And a lot of people were saying that the poor conditions in jail threatened his life. And he died right afterwards in his early thirties.

In 2004, Dr. Zied Mhirsi became a pioneer in Tunisia’s pre-revolutionary blogosphere, and used his blog, Zizou From Djerba, as a platform to express ideas, opinions, and experiences. He soon engaged others in the blogosphere on policy debates about topics like education, agriculture, and the environment. Initially, the Internet was one of the few venues for Tunisians to express themselves without being harassed by government authorities. As the regime of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali became more aware of the blogosphere’s ability to influence society, bloggers like Mhrisi became targets of censorship and persecution.

As a student studying in the United States, Mhirsi became involved in Tunisian radio and through his broadcasts, informed Tunisians about world events. When he returned to his homeland, Mhirsi remained active in radio and used it to promote the use of social media. This concept transformed into a weekly political show that featured voices from the Tunisian blogosphere prior to the 2010 uprising. Since the revolution, Mhirsi has worked extensively with international media analyzing the post-revolution political situation, working with outlets such as CNN, Al Jazeera English, 60 Minutes, CBS News, the New York Times, and the Financial Times, to produce news stories, documentaries, and other shows. In March 2011, Mhirsi co-founded Tunisia Live, the first Tunisian English-language news website. Tunisia Live is viewed by more than 100,000 visitors every month and serves as the main Tunisian news platform for English speakers.

In addition to his media activities, Mhirsi is a global health professional whose public health career focuses primarily on strengthening health systems to combat HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases.

Twitter: @zizoo

Blog: http://www.zizoufromdjerba.com/

Website: http://www.tunisia-live.net/