From People of Shambala:
Posted: 21 Jan 2012 11:54 AM PST
Nabil Karoui, owner of the Tunisian Nassma TV station is set to stand trial for “violating sacred values” and “disturbing the public order.”
He faces up to three years in jail if he is found guilty. The Tunisian authorities are upset that Karouri allowed the French animated movie Persepolis to be aired on his station in October 2011. (Watch the trailer below)
The French animation is based on an Iranian autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Islamic critics have described the movie as "blasphemous" as it shows a dream sequence in which the heroine imagines herself talking with God.
According to Egyptian media outlet BikyaMasr, "The airing of the film triggered a wave of violence, including an attempt to firebomb Karoui’s home on October 14. Salafi activists also staged angry protests in front of the offices of the station."
Karoui has told reporters, “I will plead not guilty, of course. It is outrageous that it was I who appear, as people who burned my house were released.
“The new defenders of the moral order in Tunisia want to make an example out of me. We are in a moral dictatorship worse than under Ben Ali. Under the old system, I have never been threatened with death,” Karoui says.
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s interim Director for Middle East and North Africa has said "Putting Nabil Karoui on trial simply for screening a film which shows fantasy scenes of God is a very troubling development. “The Tunisian authorities must uphold Nabil Karoui’s right to freedom of expression and drop these charges immediately."
He faces up to three years in jail if he is found guilty. The Tunisian authorities are upset that Karouri allowed the French animated movie Persepolis to be aired on his station in October 2011. (Watch the trailer below)
The French animation is based on an Iranian autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Islamic critics have described the movie as "blasphemous" as it shows a dream sequence in which the heroine imagines herself talking with God.
According to Egyptian media outlet BikyaMasr, "The airing of the film triggered a wave of violence, including an attempt to firebomb Karoui’s home on October 14. Salafi activists also staged angry protests in front of the offices of the station."
Karoui has told reporters, “I will plead not guilty, of course. It is outrageous that it was I who appear, as people who burned my house were released.
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| A scene from Persepolis. A Tunisian tv station owner will stand trial for showing the French movie. |
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s interim Director for Middle East and North Africa has said "Putting Nabil Karoui on trial simply for screening a film which shows fantasy scenes of God is a very troubling development. “The Tunisian authorities must uphold Nabil Karoui’s right to freedom of expression and drop these charges immediately."
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