Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ALGIERS576
2006-04-01 16:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Algiers
Cable title:  

EL KHABAR JOURNALIST INTERROGATED ABOUT THE

Tags:  PTER KDEM PHUM AG 
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VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAS #0576 0911600
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 011600Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0724
INFO RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 1248
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 6098
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1198
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1731
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0739
C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000576 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2016
TAGS: PTER KDEM PHUM AG
SUBJECT: EL KHABAR JOURNALIST INTERROGATED ABOUT THE
SOURCES OF HIS ARTICLES ON THE GSPC


Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000576

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2016
TAGS: PTER KDEM PHUM AG
SUBJECT: EL KHABAR JOURNALIST INTERROGATED ABOUT THE
SOURCES OF HIS ARTICLES ON THE GSPC


Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Algeria's leading Arabic-language daily, El Khabar,
claimed in April 1 that its reporter Mohamed Mourad, the
author of two articles published March 27 and 29 on the
dissemination of leaflets by the Salafist Group for Call and
Combat (GSPC),was questioned March 30 at an Algerian police
station in a "humiliating manner" and asked to reveal his
sources for the articles. According to El Khabar's April 1
story, Mourad was subjected to an interrogation during which
the police employed "every provocative means," including
"threats and physical and psychological intimidation,"
against him. The newspaper did not allege that any physical
force was used against Mourad in the police attempts to
obtain information from him.


2. (SBU) According to a colleague at El Khabar contacted by
post, the police questioned Mourad about an internal police
memorandum he received from a friend. Mourad was questioned
after his friend, who had already been asked by police to
furnish the names of police officers responsible for the
leaked document, was allegedly unable to provide that
information.


3. (C) A journalist at El Khabar's sister paper, the leading
French-language daily El Watan, who also reported on Mourad's
treatment, told us privately Mourad ultimately gave the
police the names of the officers who leaked the memorandum.
The El Watan reporter said Mourad, whom he described as
"young and inexperienced," had made three mistakes. First,
he published the internal memorandum. Second, he went to the
police station on his own initiative after learning his
friend had been interrogated rather than waiting for an
official summons. Third, he ruined the careers of policemen
who merely wanted the public to know more about the GSPC.
The El Watan journalist added that it was his understanding
the police, at the time they interrogated Mourad, already
knew which officers had leaked the memorandum, but they
wanted Mourad's confirmation of the names.


4. (U) El Khabar denounced the police practices as
"contravening the law...which assures journalists the
right...to protect sources and (reveal them) only to the
judiciary." The National Journalists Union, for its part,
issued a statement in which it acknowledged the highly
sensitive nature of the published information, but
nevertheless described as "intolerable" the manner by which
some law enforcement agents acted, especially since their
primary function was to enforce the laws of Algeria. The
Union regretted that "the justice system, whose job it is to
render decisions on these issues, was blithely ignored" in
this case.

ERDMAN