Mohamed Hechmi Hamdi ( ar, محمد الهاشمي الحامدي), also spelled Mohamed el Hachmi El-Hamdi, Hechmi Haamdi, or Hachmi Hamdi is a Tunisian journalist, media entrepreneur and politician, who lives in London. He is founder and owner of the oppositional Al Mustakillah TV channel. After the

Tunisian Revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

in 2011 he founded the "Popular Petition" party later renamed to

Current of Love The Current of Love or Tayar el-Mahaba ( aeb, تيار المحبة, french: Courant de l'amour), before May 2013 known as the Popular Petition for Freedom, Justice and Development ( aeb, العريضة الشعبية للحرية والعدال� ...

Personal life

Mohamed Hechmi Hamdi was born in

Sidi Bouzid Sidi Bouzid ( ar, سيدي بوزيد '), sometimes called ''Sidi Bou Zid'' or ''Sīdī Bū Zayd'', is a city in Tunisia and is the capital of Sidi Bouzid Governorate in the centre of the country. Following the suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi in ...

. He has studied

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

at the

Tunis University Tunis University ( ar, جامعة تونس, french: link=no, Université de Tunis) is a university in Tunis, Tunisia. It was founded in 1960 on the basis of earlier educational establishments. The University of Tunis is a member of the Mediterr ...

, graduating with a B.A. in 1985. He added a masters programme in Arab literature and history at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, which he completed in 1990. From the same school he obtained his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in the field of contemporary Islamic studies in 1996 from

SOAS, University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

Career

After contributing articles to different newspapers and journals, including the London-based Arabic daily

Asharq Al-Awsat ''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...

, he founded his own weekly Al-Mustakilla ("The Independent") in 1993, the quarterly magazine "The Diplomat" in 1996, Al Mustakillah satellite TV channel in 1999, and a second TV channel, called "Democracy", in 2005. From the early 1980s until his resignation in 1992, Hechmi Hamdi was a member of the Tunisian Islamist

Ennahda Movement The Ennahda Movement ( ar, حركة النهضة, Ḥarakatu n-Nahḍah; french: link=no, Mouvement Ennahdha), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia. Fou ...

. Later, he was alleged, but denied, to have developed close ties to President

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

and his party, RCD. In March 2011, after the

Tunisian revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

, he founded the

Popular Petition The Current of Love or Tayar el-Mahaba ( aeb, تيار المحبة, french: Courant de l'amour), before May 2013 known as the Popular Petition for Freedom, Justice and Development ( aeb, العريضة الشعبية للحرية والعدال� ...

for Freedom, Justice and Development (Aridha Chaabia), which he promoted from his Al-Mustakilla TV channel and announced his candidature for the presidential elections. On 4 February 2012 Hechmi Hamdi was elected secretary general of the ''Party of Progressive Conservatives'' (PPC), which is closely linked to the Popular Petition movement. In May 2013 Hechmi Hamdi relaunched his Aridha movement under the new name of ''Tayar al-Mahaba'', or

References

Living people Alumni of the University of London Tunisian writers Tunisian politicians 21st-century Tunisian businesspeople People from Sidi Bouzid Ennahda politicians Alumni of SOAS University of London Tunis University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Candidates for President of Tunisia {{Tunisia-bio-stub