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