The current situation at the Institution of Tunisian Television (ETT) is extremely surprising. Indeed, ETT’s Director General Mustapha Ben Letaïef who previously dismissed the Editor in chief of the news department, Hamadi Ghidaoui, was sacked. Also, directors of Watania 1 and Watania 2 channels, Iheb Chaouech and Chadya Khedhir resigned from their positions

It all started from the diffusion of a scene where was shown the head of a young shepherd who had been beheaded by jihadists. This was shown at the 1 PM news edition on Al Watanya 1. On Saturday 14, 2015, ETT’s direction admitted it committed a “professional mistake”, since the image violates “human dignity”. A penalty was immediately delivered against the Editor in Chief of the news department. However, this was not sufficient considering that Tunisian head of state Habib Essid on 15 November fired ETT’s CEO Mustapha Ben Letaïef, appointing an interim president.

To protest against the President’s decision, the respective heads of Watania 1 and Watania 2 resigned on November 16. They accuse the President of violating the 116-2015 act, since he took his decision without referring to the Haute Autorité Indépendante de la Communication Audiovisuelle (HAICA), which gives its opinion concerning all appointments in the public audiovisual sector.

The two formers directors affirmed their actions were driven by “principles and conviction in the fact that this way of ‘dismissing and appointing’ does not fall in line with the reform process in the information sector in general and in the public information sector especially. Moreover, they fear this could allow the authorities in power to have fully control over appointments in that sector which could in turn compromise freedom of speech which they acquired through the revolution.”

HAICA for its part denounced the “denial of its authority” as regulator of the sector. The president of this institution, Nouri Lajmi, criticizes the dismissal of ETT’s president saying that, though the Presidency administratively has the right to make that decision, it still falls under the jurisdiction of HAICA since ETT’s president mistake was a professional one, thus only HAICA was habilitated to determine the gravity of the actions and the corresponding penalty. Nouri Lajmi concluded that the president’s decision was severe and hasty. P

In January 2014, HAICA which had not been involved by the government refused to approve the various appointments to the heads of Radio Institution and Television Institution. The government then had to pull back on its decision.

Assongmo Necdem