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Killed
January 10
Mohamed Mekati, El Moudjahid, KILLED
Mekati, a correspondent for the government-owned newspaper El Moudjahid, died from gunshot wounds. He was shot the previous day, as he was returning from work, by unidentified gunmen near his home in Ain Naadja, a southwestern suburb of Algiers. In a press release, CPJ condemned the murder.
February 10
Abdallah Bouhachek, Revolution et Travaille, KILLED
Bouhachek, editor of Revolution et Travaille, the weekly organ of Algeria's largest workers union (UGTA), was shot and killed by unknown assailants near the town of Blida, south of Algiers, while on his way to work. CPJ condemned the murder in a press release and called on all parties to the conflict to respect the status of journalists as civilian noncombatants.
February 11
Allaoua Ait M'barak, Le Soir d'Algerie, KILLED
Mohamed Dorbane, Le Soir d'Algerie, KILLED
Djamel Derraz, Le Soir d'Algerie, KILLED
Le Matin, ATTACKED
L'Opinion, ATTACKED
El Watan, ATTACKED
Ait M'barak, editor in chief of the independent evening daily Le Soir d'Algerie; Dorbane, a columnist with the newspaper; and Derraz, a writer with the paper's leisure section, were killed when a car bomb exploded outside the newspaper's office, which is located in the Maison de la Presse Tahar Djaout building in Algiers. In a press release, CPJ condemned the killings. The press building houses several independent newspapers. The offices of the dailies Le Matin, L'Opinion and El Watan were damaged in the attack. No group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Islamic fundamentalist rebels are presumed responsible. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) has claimed responsibility for the bulk of journalists' slayings in Algeria.
March 12
Djilali Arabidou, Algerie-Actualite, KILLED
Arabidou, a reporter and photographer with the French-language pro-government weekly Algerie-Actualite, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Ain Naadja, a southwestern suburb of Algiers. Arabdiou was considered by many to be the dean of Algerian photojournalists. In a press release, CPJ condemned the assassination.
August 12
Mohamed Guessab, Algerian Radio, KILLED
Guessab, host of "Radio Koran," a religious program on Algerian Radio, was murdered by gunmen while driving with his two brothers in the Algiers suburb of Beau Fraisier. One of Guessab's brothers was also killed and the other seriously wounded when the unidentified attackers sprayed their car with gunfire. Guessab was the seventh Algerian journalist murdered in 1996 and the 59th victim since 1993 of an ongoing campaign by extremists to assassinate journalists. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamic fundamentalist rebels are presumed responsible. CPJ issued a press release condemning the murder.
For more information contact mideastweb@cpj.org