TUNISIA: RULING PARTY HIJACKS PRESS SYNDICATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000626 SIPDIS LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2019 TAGS: PGOV ELAB PHUM PREL TS SUBJECT: TUNISIA: RULING PARTY HIJACKS PRESS SYNDICATE REF: A. TUNIS 287 ¶B. 08 TUNIS 407 ¶C. 08 TUNIS 126 Classified By: Charge Marc Desjardins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) A pro-government faction within the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) held an alternate special congress and elected a "new leadership" August 15 which immediately issued a statement supporting President Ben Ali's candidacy in the upcoming October elections. Independent union members insist the new leadership is illegitimate. Both sides have gone to the court system to defend their legitimacy and the court has so far ruled in favor of the new pro-government group, even though their congress apparently did not follow the union's bylaws. The original leadership will continue to try and recover control of the union. The GOT's recent interference in the journalists syndicate has drawn condemnation from international watchdogs, and a letter of concern from the US AFL/CIO to President Ben Ali. This development underlines the GOT's keenness to lock down the Tunisian media in advance of the October Presidential elections. End Summary. -------------- Constant Harassment -------------- ¶2. (C) Tunisia's only independent journalist union, the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, has cracked in two. In January 2008 Naji Bghouri and a group of 400 journalists established a new independent journalists syndicate after several previous efforts failed under GOT pressure (Ref C). Bghouri surprised the GOT by arranging elections for an Executive Bureau quicker than the GOT could organize its operatives. However, a rump group of pro-government journalists quickly established itself in the SNJT and started protesting that the new executive bureau was too political. ¶3. (C) Lotfi Haji, a freelance journalist for Al Jazeera and President of one of the previous failed syndicates who joined with the SNJT after Bghouri showed it had some independence (Ref B),told PolOff August 24 that the SNJT made three "mistakes" that provoked the GOT's anger. First, it published a communique stating that it was neutral on the Presidential elections. It did this after several government controlled newspapers accused it of supporting the opposition parties, and printed a doctored photo showing Bghouri standing next to Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) leader Nejib Chebi. Second, the SNJT publicly criticized other newspapers for sinking to new lows by accusing several civil rights activists of pimping or of accepting foreign money and being traitors, slanders presumably hurled on the GOT's behalf. Third, in May 2009 it published a press freedom report criticizing the GOT for its repression of the press. -------------- Dueling Congresses -------------- ¶4. (C) Following the melee that erupted when the SNJT held a press conference May 4 to announce its second annual press freedom report, the pro-government journalists started an open campaign against the SNJT Executive Bureau. They published their own report under the SNJT logo claiming there was no press repression in Tunisia. The group also circulated a petition declaring a lack of confidence in the old leadership. The petition eventually collected over 500 signatures, many of them duplicates, not members of the SNJT, and/or signed under pressure (Ref A). Subsequent to the petition, the group started pressuring individual members of the Executive Bureau, and eventually four members resigned which, under the Union's bylaws, forced the leadership to organize new elections. The challengers then called on July 14 for an extraordinary congress to conduct new elections and set a date of August 15, which independents charged was in violation of the Union's bylaws. In response, the original leadership called a general congress for September 12. They also filed a court case against the actions of the dissident group asking that the August 15 congress be nullified. The court, however, ruled that the August 15 congress was legitimate. -------------- Ruling Party Takes Charge -------------- ¶5. (C) The August 15 congress elected Jameleddine Karmaoui, previously an advisor to the Secretary General of the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD),and eight others all also closely connected to the RCD. The new "leaders" immediately, the same day, published a communique supporting Ben Ali in his re-election campaign. They also filed a court case to declare the planned September congress illegitimate. Most recently, according to one journalist, the new leadership tried August 21 to eject the old leadership from the Union's headquarters. -------------- Independents Vow to Continue the Struggle -------------- ¶6. (C) The leader of the independents and SNJT President Bghouri told us he expects the court will rule in the pro-government group's favor and declare the September congress illegitimate. He also expects the GOT to prevent the group from accessing an appropriate venue for the congress and to use the police to prevent people from entering the venue no matter where it is held. However, Bghouri said he is continuing to plan for the congress and will use the union's local Tunis headquarters if no other venue is available. ¶7. (C) In addition to the divisiveness created by two rival leadership groups, the GOT is also using another well known tool. It is denying the SNJT any government subsidies usually provided to unions and allowed to its predecessor union, the Association of Tunisian Journalist (ATJ),but at the same time is holding the SNJT responsible for TD 26,000 ($19,400) in social security taxes not paid by the ATJ. If the September 12 congress is allowed there will be effectively two rival leadership groups. If it is blocked, the original leadership will be superseded by the leadership elected by the pro-government faction August 15. -------------- International Concern -------------- ¶8. (C) Several organizations and international unions have already voiced support for Bghouri and the SNJT. The International Federation of Journalists sent a letter to Neji Bghouri August 7 saying it would not attend the August 15 congress. On July 22, the AFL/CIO sent a letter to President Ben Ali expressing concern over government interference in the affairs of the of the SNJT. August 17 the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists publicly condemned the August 15 congress. Adnan Hasnoui, another part-time journalist and activist, told PolOff that after the September 12 congress several international unions are planning to hold a meeting and will denounce the August 15 leadership as illegitimate. ¶9. (C) While the GOT usually seems impervious to criticism, some journalists hope this public international criticism will be difficult for Ben Ali to accept in an election year. The original leadership is also thinking of starting yet another union. Haji said he thought, judging by the proximity of the new August 15 leaders to the ruling RCD, that the party was more directly involved than usual in this "putsch", rather than the MOI. -------------- Harassment and Intimidation -------------- ¶10. (C) Neji Bghouri told an Embassy LES in Public Affairs that he is under constant harassment by the government. He said he receives phone calls threatening his wife and his 13 year old daughter. His wife has also received phone calls from several women telling her they have been sleeping with her husband. He noted that several international organizations have protested the GOT's manipulation of the union and hoped the United States would also voice support, even though he is reluctant to talk directly to US diplomats. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) This development adds the SNJT to the list of Tunisian unions and party organizations that have been divided and frozen by RCD interference in their affairs, including the Tunisian League of Human Rights, the National Union of Tunisian Students and the Association of Tunisian Magistrates. It also highlights once again the ability of the ruling party to manipulate the judiciary and the GOT's keenness to lock down the Tunisian media in advance of the October presidential elections. DESJARDINS