AMBASSADOR PRESSES BELKHEIR ON DEFAMATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001050 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2015 TAGS: PREL KPAO AG SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PRESSES BELKHEIR ON DEFAMATION CONVICTIONS Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman; reasons 1.4 (B)(D) ¶1. (C) During May 24 meeting with Presidential Chief of Staff Belkheir on other issues, Ambassador took the occasion to underscore our serious concerns about the mounting number of Algerian journalists who are either in jail or condemned to prison terms on charges of defamation. (At the time of the conversation there were six journalists in this category, and the May 25 press reported one additional prison sentence, one acquittal, and one fine on charges of defamation.) Ambassador said one journalist in prison was one too many, but six journalists in prison was outrageous and unacceptable. Algeria needed to understand that its actions in this area were seriously tarnishing Algeria's reputation abroad. Algeria was alienating journalistic elites who shaped public perceptions about Algeria around the world. Algeria needed to consider the costs and negative impact of its self-defeating actions against the press and move as quickly as possible to adopt legislation decriminalizing defamation. ¶2. (C) As frustrating as the press could be at times, Ambassador commented, and we ourselves had recently been the target of a scurrilous letter to the press insulting U.S. officials and containing all sorts of outright lies, a free press was nonetheless an indispensable ingredient for democracy. Belkheir, clearly agreeing that these defamation convictions were bad for Algeria, urged the Ambassador to raise this issue with Foreign Minister Bedjaoui. As in previous conversations on press freedom issues, Belkheir recalled that even though he has been frequently insulted in the press, he has never resorted to launching a defamation suit. Instead, he has preferred to remain silent or to write a respectful letter to the press defending himself. ¶3. (C) Action request: Ambassador requests he be instructed to deliver a very forceful demarche to FM Bedjaoui on the mounting number of defamation cases. ERDMAN