HAPA (Press and Broadcasting High Authority)

Creation and status

The Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l’Audiovisuel (HAPA) was created in 2006 by the ordinance n ° 34-2006 of October 26th, 2006.
The Law 026-2008 on the Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l’Audiovisuel and Law 045-2010 on audiovisual communication sets the status and tasks of the HAPA.
The Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l’Audiovisuel is an independent administrative authority, with legal personality and financial autonomy.

Organization

The organs of the HAPA are:

the Plenary Assembly, decision-making body of the Council;
the Investigating Committees (Legal and Litigation Affairs, Pluralism, Written Press, Audiovisual);
services under the responsibility of the Secretary General and grouped into four departments (Legal, Ethics and Litigation, Written Press, Program Control, Audiovisual).

The board is composed of six members including the president appointed as follows:

three members including the President appointed by the President of the Republic;
two members appointed by the President of the National Assembly;
one member appointed by the President of the Senate.

Current composition of the Board:

Mr. Houcein Ould Medou, President;
Ms. Mariam Diagne, Member;
Mr. Ahmedou Mbeirik Ould Mohamed Abdallahi, Member;
Mr. Saleh Ould Dehmach, Member.

Competencies

Article 4 of Law 026-2008 defines the main tasks of HAPA as follows:

to ensure the application of legislation and regulations relating to the press and audiovisual communication, under objective, transparent and non-discriminatory conditions;
to contribute to the respect of professional ethics by public and private sound and television broadcasting companies and services, by newspapers and periodical publications, public or private;
to guarantee, in accordance with the law, the independence and freedom of information and communication;
to instruct, in accordance with the provisions of Article 23 of the Law on Audiovisual Communication, requests for the exploitation of stations and audiovisual companies and issue a favorable or unfavorable opinion on the granting, refusal, renewal or withdrawal licenses and operating licenses for these stations and companies;
to guarantee the respect of the specifications and the expenses of the radios and televisions, public and private;
to contribute to the respect of the standards relating to broadcasting and reception equipment for radio and television broadcasts;
to contribute to the establishment and monitoring of public support mechanisms for the press;
to ensure the respect for the fundamental principles governing advertising through the media;
to ensure the respect for the law and the preservation of cultural identity, the respect for the principles and foundation of national unity, public security and order, objectivity and balance in the processing of information conveyed by the press and the audiovisual media;
to ensure the respect for the equitable access of political parties, trade unions and recognized organizations of civil society to the public media under the conditions set by laws and regulations;
to ensure that the laws and regulations, the freedom and property of others, the values of Islam, human dignity, the pluralistic character of the expression of current thoughts and opinion, the cultural identity and the protection of childhood and adolescence are respected in audiovisual programs;
to set the rules concerning the conditions of production, programming and broadcasting of programs during election campaigns;
to promote and promote free and healthy competition between the public and private, written and audiovisual media.

In addition to these prerogatives and missions, the law 018-2012 gives the HAPA the power of approval of the appointment of the general directors of the public audio-visual organs.

Link

Website: http://www.hapa.mr

Contact

High Authority for Press and Audiovisual
02 King Faisal Avenue, Ksar, Nouakchott Mauritania
B.P .: 3192
Phone: + 222 45241088
Fax: +222 45241051
E-mail: hapamr@hotmail.fr