Tunisian courts ruled Friday that filmmaker Nasreddine Shili will receive a suspended five-month sentence for throwing an egg at a government minister, according to an AFP report.
Culture Minister Mehdi Mabrouk was "shelled" during a memorial ceremony in mid-August to commemorate the death of a Tunisian artist. Mourad Mehrezi, who filmed the incident, was also tried, but charges against him were dropped Friday.
Shili says the act was spontaneous and was largely done in protest of the Islamist-led government crackdowns on artists, including curbing artists' freedom of expression both in law and in practice. The Islamist Ennahda party has largely denied such crackdowns.