Response to recent appointments of
senior media posts indicate the continuing feud between the government and
media groups in Tunisia.
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Media
freedom continues to represent a major issue in post-revolution Tunisia (AFP)
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The
Tunisian body responsible for communications has requested that the government
abides by the country’s law in terms of appointments to senior media positions.
The
High Independent Authority for Audio-visual Communication (HAICA) released a
statement last week, saying: “We would like to remind the government of our
urgent demand to reconsider appointments to the top of audio-visual
institutions as per a participatory approach that would guarantee
independence.”
“The
aim is to establish objective foundations that would help ensure success for
the democratic transition and good preparation for the next election away from
all forms of tension and doubt," added the statement.
According
to the law, the HAICI is supposed to be consulted regarding the appointments to
senior posts in state-run media organistations. However, last week, the
government named new bosses at five radio stations, apparently without
consulting the body.
Chief
of state radio network ERT,
Mohamed Moueddeb, who announced the appointments argued: “These
appointments are purely administrative measures, and some of them were made to
fill the administrative vacuum, as is the case in El Kef and Gafsa, or to inject new blood, as is
the case in Tataouine
radio station."
The
National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) has expressed its disappointment
at the decisions, describing them as “beyond the legal formula.”
The
union said that it categorically rejected the appointments because of the lack
of involvement by the HAICA.
Thameur
Zoghalmi, the manager of Radio
Tataouine who was replaced with the recent appointments, echoed the
union’s sentiments: “…HAICA is directly concerned with this part of its
consultative tasks as per law 116. Moreover, these appointments are unprofessional
because they included people who have nothing at all to do with the media and
weren't known for their defence of press freedom in the past.”
"As
to Radio Tataouine,
the new manager was appointed under direct intervention of the province
governor, who has always shown his resentment of the work of this radio
station, which has distinguished itself with its neutrality and
independence," he added.
Challenges
facing Tunisian media
In
light of the recent political appointments, HAICA has called for complete
reforms of the sector, stating: “We've had enough with this institutional
vacuum that has lasted for more than one and a half years and produced negative
phenomena that would require intensive efforts to fix.”
Similarly,
the Civil Coalition for the Defence of Freedom of Expression has argued that a
new joint committee should be formed, one which will ensure transparency and
independence.
They
said that the recent appointments represent the latest in a "series of
appointments made at public media institutions based on the principle of
obedience and loyalty, which started to appear in January 2012."
Media
freedom has been under
a spotlight in Tunisia since the revolution in 2011 which led to the
Ennahda party assuming control in a coalition government.
On
August 12, a journalist was detained for filming an incident in which an actor
threw egg at the Culture Minister, Media Mabrouk.
Astrolabe
TV employee,
Mourad Harzi was detained “without putting any clear accusations to him,”
according to his editor-in-chief.
The
SNJT condemned his arrest, claiming that the incident represents a dangerous
trend for media freedom in Tunisia, which could suffer in the future as a
result.
Source:
Doha Centre for Media Freedom
