National organizations, associations, unions and bodies condemn Member of Parliament Ridha Al-Jaouadi’s incitement incident against Hisham al-Senussi and HAICA Authority members
On Friday, 24 January, a member of the People’s Assembly, Ridha Al-Jaouadi, published a post on his Facebook page that incited hatred against members of the High Independent Authority of the Audiovisual Commission and in particular Mr. Hisham al-Senussi who in turn received threats, Al-Jaouadi described members of the Authority as a “gang” and its leaders as “holding hatred and envy toward anything related to Islam and Holy Quran”, and he called Hisham al-Senussi an “extreme schismatic leftist”
Al-Jaouadi used in his post a rude, blatant and dangerous incitement speech in which he used religion as one of the collective components to make Hisham al-Senussi and his colleagues apostates which could threaten their lives and their physical integrity and make them vulnerable to reprisals.
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The undersigned organizations and associations which follow with concern this emerging dangerous incident express:
-Their absolute solidarity with Mr. Hisham Al-Senussi and all members of the High Independent Authority of the Audiovisual Commission “HAICA” against this intimidating takfiri practice.
– Their conviction that this incitement comes as a culmination of the desperate attempts made by Al-Jawadi and others to intimidate members of the High Independent Authority of the Audiovisual Commission “HAICA” in order to prevent them from exercising their revisionist and deterrent tasks and to open a wide door for mobilizing partisan media that is supported politically and financially to make the journalistic profession serve goals that do not relate to media and its noble goals.
– Calls upon he People’s Assembly to assume its full responsibilities in curbing such reckless and extremist practices that contradict with the spirit of responsibility assumed in its members.
– Calls upon the Public Prosecution to initiate an urgent investigation to investigate what Al-Jaouadi has committed who seems to be taking advantage of his parliamentary immunity to assault a constitutional authority which all its decisions proves that it deals equally with all media outlets in all their diverse editorial lines.
– Calls upon the Ministry of the Interior to protect Hisham Al-Senussi and his colleagues in the face of this public call for murder and revenge, especially that the caller is a public and influential figure who is used to use religious and sacred terms to attack his opponents to induce the religious feelings of Tunisians in order to use them as tools of blind intimidation.
The undersigned organizations emphasize that they will follow up the consequences of this incitement crime with all the concerned authorities in order to prevent its impunity, especially that similar practices was previously done by Al-Jaouadi and others against unionists, journalists, activists and women remained up to this moment without punishment.
Signatures:
- _ National syndicate of Tunisian journalists
- _ Tunisian General Labour Union
- _ Tunisian Human Rights League
- _ Tunisian Association of Democratic Women
- _ Tunisian Federation of Newspaper Directors
- _ The National Syndicate for Private TV Channels
- _ The General Syndicate for Media
- _ The National Syndicate of Private Broadcasters
- _ Tunisian Union of Associative Media
- _ Association Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
- _ Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights
- _Tunisian Women Research and Development Association
- _Association Beity
- _Association against Torture in Tunisia
- _Tunisian Association for Defending Individual Liberties
- _ Tunisian Association for Defending Academic Values
- _ 23-30 Organization for Supporting the Democratic Transition Path
- _Ahmed Al-Tlili Organization for Democratic Culture
- _ Reporters without Borders
- _Democratic Transition and Human Rights Support Center (DAAM)
- _Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network