la activista Amina Tyler arrestada en Túnez por grafitear FEMEN

A prominent member of the feminist group, Femen, in Tunisia has gone on trial in the city of Kairouan.

Amina Tyler is charged with carrying an "incendiary object". She appeared in court smiling, dressed in a white robe.

Conservative groups accuse her of insulting the city of Kairouan, a religious centre.

Ms Tyler scandalised some in her home country in March by posting photos of herself topless, with the slogan "my body is my own" written on her torso.

Femen, a Ukrainian group, is famous for its topless protests.

On Thursday, some 200 protesters, many religious conservatives, protested outside the court, chanting slogans against Ms Tyler, accusing her of attacking the city and insulting Islam.

Ms Tyler emerged from hiding earlier this month in Kairouan, where she wrote "Femen" on a wall near the city's main mosque.

That was on the same day as authorities banned a group of ultra-conservative Muslims from holding their annual conference in Kairouan.

Ms Tyler was detained by police amid clashes and tear gas as an angry crowd gathered.

Her lawyers argue that a 19th-Century charge of carrying an incendiary object should not apply to a can of pepper spray she says she had been given by a foreign journalist for her own protection.

Lawyers saying they represented the city called for her to face the more serious charge of threatening public security. They were turned down by the judge.

The trial has drawn attention partly because it is set against the background of tensions in Tunisia, following the overthrow of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

There has since been an increase in the prominence of ultra-conservative Islamists known as Salafists, who campaign for greater public piety in Tunisia.

Femen describes itself as "fighting patriarchy in its three manifestations - sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion".

Ms Tyler's fellow activists around the world have staged topless protests calling for her freedom.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22714130

A court convicted the Tunisian member of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen Tuesday for carrying an "incendiary object" and fined her $182. She remains in custody pending more serious charges.

Amina Sboui, who scandalized the country for posting topless photos of herself as part of women's rights protest, attempted to carry out a new protest on May 19 in the religious center of Kairouan. She was arrested and charged with carrying a canister of pepper spray.

Prosecutors on Thursday, however, said they are considering bringing more serious charges against her, including desecrating a cemetery and offending public decency, according to defense lawyer Mokhtar Jannene.

Sboui will appear in court again June 5.

Outside the court, about 200 protesters, many religious conservatives, chanted slogans against Sboui, accusing her of attacking the city and insulting Islam. They also shouted insults at the defense lawyers and accused them of "sullying" the image of the city, a center for religious pilgrimage and home of Tunisia's holiest mosque.

Sboui came to national attention when she posted online photos of herself topless with the slogan "my body is my own" written on her torso.

She went into hiding because of death threats but re-emerged in Kairouan, where she allegedly scrawled "Femen" on a cemetery wall near the city's main mosque. Sboui was detained by police as an angry mob gathered around her. On the same day, police stopped a group of ultraconservative Muslims from holding their annual conference, resulting in clashes and tear gas – heightening the tensions over the Sboui case.

In court, her lawyers argued that the 1894 statute on "incendiary objects" should not apply to her can of pepper spray.

She told the judge that she had been given the pepper spray by a foreign journalist for her own protection and had been carrying it for the last two months.

The other two charges, if brought forward, carry longer sentences of up to two years in prison.

Sboui's father was present in court and expressed his support for his daughter.

"I am proud of my daughter who has honored the rights of women," Mounir Sboui told The Associated Press. "Maybe her acts were rash, but this is her way of expressing these ideas."

The case is the latest flashpoint in the battle over Tunisia's identity after the overthrow of the secular authoritarian government in January 2011 saw the rise of ultraconservative Islamists known as salafis pushing for greater piety.

The case attracted attention in Europe and three members of Femen, two French and a German, demonstrated topless in front of Tunis' court building Wednesday, calling for Sboui's release. They were arrested and remain in custody. They are set to appear before a judge on Friday, when they may be charged.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/30/amina-tyler-trial-tunisians-protest-outside-femen-activist-court-case_n_3358736.html

The trial of Femen activist Amina Tyler started on Thursday in the Tunisian city of Kairouan.

The 18-year-old feminist was charged with carrying an "incendiary object" after she was caught by police earlier this month with a can of pepper spray. At Thursday's hearing, the judge presiding over Tyler's case also announced that she would face new charges of indecency and desecrating a cemetery.

Tyler, whose real last name is Sboui, appeared in court smiling and dressed in a white robe.

The young activist scandalized her country in March by posting photos online of herself topless with the slogan "my body is my own" written on her torso. Ukrainian group Femen, of which Tyler is a prominent member, is famous for its topless protests.

More from GlobalPost: Topless Femen women protest in Tunisia

She had to go into hiding after receiving death threats, but reemerged May 19 in Kairouan, where she wrote "Femen" on a cemetery wall near the city's main mosque.

Around 200 protesters, many religious conservatives, protested outside the court on Thursday, chanting slogans against Tyler and accusing her of attacking the city and insulting Islam. They also shouted insults at defense lawyers, accusing them of "sullying" the image of Kairouan.

Three other Femen members held a topless protest the day before Tyler's trial started. Wearing only shorts, they chanted "Free Amina" and "A women's spring is coming."

Tyler's father, Mounir Sboui, was also present in court on Thursday to support his daughter.

"I am proud of my daughter who has honored the rights of women," Mounir Sboui told the Associated Press. "Maybe her acts were rash, but this is her way of expressing these ideas."

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/130530/amina-tyler-trial-starts-femen-activist-tunisia