Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ALGIERS367
2006-03-05 09:48:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Algiers
Cable title:
TALLY OF ALGERIAN JOURNALISTS IN JAIL
how-toVZCZCXYZ0003 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHAS #0367 0640948 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 050948Z MAR 06 FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0384 INFO RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 6023 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 1205 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1156 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1674 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0714
UNCLAS ALGIERS 000367
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AG
SUBJECT: TALLY OF ALGERIAN JOURNALISTS IN JAIL
REF: A. MCNICHOLAS/EMBASSY ALGIERS E-MAIL OF FEBRUARY 28
B. ALGIERS 333
C. ALGIERS 324
D. ALGIERS 263
E. ALGIERS 199
UNCLAS ALGIERS 000367
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AG
SUBJECT: TALLY OF ALGERIAN JOURNALISTS IN JAIL
REF: A. MCNICHOLAS/EMBASSY ALGIERS E-MAIL OF FEBRUARY 28
B. ALGIERS 333
C. ALGIERS 324
D. ALGIERS 263
E. ALGIERS 199
1. (SBU) There are currently three Algerian journalists in
prison. Eighteen other journalists have been sentenced to
prison terms but are free pending appellate court rulings on
their appeals. In prison the longest is Mohamed Benchicou,
former publisher of the now-defunct Le Matin newspaper, who
is currently serving a two-year prison sentence for illegal
transfer of funds related to the operation of his newspaper.
(Although many believe the real offense he committed was his
vociferous published attacks on President Bouteflika.) He is
scheduled to complete his term June 14. However, he could be
tried on any number of the 32 charges pending against him.
Kamel Boussad, editor of the weekly Arabic-language newspaper
Errissala, and Berkane Bouderbala, editor of the weekly
magazine Essafir, are both in pre-trial detention (Ref D) for
publishing the Danish cartoons that have angered the Muslim
world. The detention of the former began February 8 and that
of the latter began February 11.
2. (U) A fourth journalist, Bachir Larabi, a reporter for
the Arabic-language daily El-Khabar, was released February 21
after exactly one month in jail. He had been the object of
complaints filed against him for defamation by the wilaya
(province) of El-Bayadh and by El-Farah, a local NGO.
3. (U) A number of independent newspapers have denounced the
government's harassment of the press. Several reporters and
organizations have called for the release of all jailed
journalists. Separately, the Algerian authorities refused to
distribute the February issue of the French publication Paris
Match because it published an interview with Ali Dilem,
cartoonist for the French-language newspaper Liberte, who had
strongly criticized the government for its campaign against
the press.
ACTION RECOMMENDATION
--------------
4. (SBU) We continue to raise issues of press freedom with
the GOA on our own (Ref B is a recent example) and, in a
recent El-Khabar interview, Ambassador stressed freedom of
the press as an indispensable ingredient for all democracies.
However, we believe it would be useful to raise our concerns
on an instructed basis. We also believe that A/S Welch
should raise our concerns with FM Bedjaoui when he next
visits Algiers, emphasizing that actions against the press
harm Algeria's image abroad.
ERDMAN
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AG
SUBJECT: TALLY OF ALGERIAN JOURNALISTS IN JAIL
REF: A. MCNICHOLAS/EMBASSY ALGIERS E-MAIL OF FEBRUARY 28
B. ALGIERS 333
C. ALGIERS 324
D. ALGIERS 263
E. ALGIERS 199
1. (SBU) There are currently three Algerian journalists in
prison. Eighteen other journalists have been sentenced to
prison terms but are free pending appellate court rulings on
their appeals. In prison the longest is Mohamed Benchicou,
former publisher of the now-defunct Le Matin newspaper, who
is currently serving a two-year prison sentence for illegal
transfer of funds related to the operation of his newspaper.
(Although many believe the real offense he committed was his
vociferous published attacks on President Bouteflika.) He is
scheduled to complete his term June 14. However, he could be
tried on any number of the 32 charges pending against him.
Kamel Boussad, editor of the weekly Arabic-language newspaper
Errissala, and Berkane Bouderbala, editor of the weekly
magazine Essafir, are both in pre-trial detention (Ref D) for
publishing the Danish cartoons that have angered the Muslim
world. The detention of the former began February 8 and that
of the latter began February 11.
2. (U) A fourth journalist, Bachir Larabi, a reporter for
the Arabic-language daily El-Khabar, was released February 21
after exactly one month in jail. He had been the object of
complaints filed against him for defamation by the wilaya
(province) of El-Bayadh and by El-Farah, a local NGO.
3. (U) A number of independent newspapers have denounced the
government's harassment of the press. Several reporters and
organizations have called for the release of all jailed
journalists. Separately, the Algerian authorities refused to
distribute the February issue of the French publication Paris
Match because it published an interview with Ali Dilem,
cartoonist for the French-language newspaper Liberte, who had
strongly criticized the government for its campaign against
the press.
ACTION RECOMMENDATION
--------------
4. (SBU) We continue to raise issues of press freedom with
the GOA on our own (Ref B is a recent example) and, in a
recent El-Khabar interview, Ambassador stressed freedom of
the press as an indispensable ingredient for all democracies.
However, we believe it would be useful to raise our concerns
on an instructed basis. We also believe that A/S Welch
should raise our concerns with FM Bedjaoui when he next
visits Algiers, emphasizing that actions against the press
harm Algeria's image abroad.
ERDMAN