Government suspends Al-Jazeera’s bureau operations
New York, July 1, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply troubled by the Algerian government’s decision to suspend operations of the local office of the Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera. According to press reports and journalists in the capital, Algiers, the Ministry of Communications ordered Al-Jazeera’s Algiers bureau to suspend its newsgathering operations yesterday.…
Publisher sentenced to two years in prison
New York, June 16, 2004—Mohamed Benchicou, publisher of the French-language daily Le Matin, was sentenced by an Algiers court to two years in prison on Monday, June 14, for violating Algeria’s currency exchange laws, according to Youssef Razzouj, Le Matin’s editor. Benchicou was also ordered to pay a large fine, totaling several hundred thousand dollars…
Journalist imprisoned
New York, June 11, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly protests the ongoing imprisonment of Hafnaoui Ghoul, an Algerian journalist and human rights activist who has been jailed since May 24 on defamation charges. Ghoul, who writes for the Algerian dailies El-Youm and Djazair News, was detained on May 24 by the police and…
Attacks on the Press 2003: Algeria
With Algerians preparing for the April 2004 presidential election , the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has always had a contentious relationship with the media, took steps to restrict press freedom. Since 1990, when the first private newspapers were allowed in Algeria, the media and the government have engaged in a tug-of-war. In 2003,…
Attacks on the Press in 2003: Journalists in Prison
There were 138 journalists in prison around the world at the end of 2003 who were jailed for practicing their profession. The number is the same as last year. An analysis of the reasons behind this is contained in the introduction on page 10. At the beginning of 2004, CPJ sent letters of inquiry to…
Harassment by authorities continues
New York, September 10, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns Algerian authorities’ recent detention of two journalists, Mohamed Benchicou, managing editor of the French-language daily Le Matin, and Ali Dilem, a cartoonist with the French-language daily Liberté. Youssef Razzouj, Le Matin’s editor, told CPJ that police arrested Benchicou on Monday, September 8, at his…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the Algerian state printers’ refusal to print a number of private newspapers in recent weeks. On August 14, state printers issued an ultimatum to six privately owned dailies—El-Khabar, Errai, Le Soir d’Algérie, Le Matin, L’Expression, and Liberté—stating that if they did not pay…
Foreign media banned from covering prisoner release
New York, July 3, 2003—Algerian authorities banned foreign media from covering yesterday’s release of two convicted leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a group that was outlawed in 1992 when its party was poised to win parliamentary elections. At least two French news crews were expelled today for ignoring the ban. According to CPJ…
Journalists who disappeared
CPJ research indicates that the following journalists have disappeared while doing their work. Although some of them are feared dead, no bodies have been found, and they are therefore not classified as “Killed.” If a journalist disappeared after being held in government custody, CPJ classifies him or her as “Imprisoned” as a way to hold…