ALGIERS BOOK FAIR: GRAPPLING WITH FREEDOM OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 001633 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO AG SUBJECT: ALGIERS BOOK FAIR: GRAPPLING WITH FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION REF: A. ALGIERS 929 ¶B. ALGIERS 1344 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Thomas F. Daughton; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a very visible way, Algeria is wrestling with the parameters of its political space, attempting to find the balance between freedom of expression and protecting against extremist ideology. At this year's annual international book fair in Algiers, the government banned over a thousand books and materials it deemed subversive, many advocating Islamic extremism. The government also banned the book of a long-time critic of President Bouteflika. Juxtaposed against those actions are unfettered, stinging critiques of the president occurring regularly in the press. Meanwhile, ornate religious books are heavily subsidized at the book fair, making them affordable to the average family, while many books on other subjects remain on the shelves, priced out of reach. As a result, the book fair has been attended heavily by a visibly religious crowd. END SUMMARY. BANNING BOOKS TO PROTECT THE NATION -------------- ¶2. (C) In a November 3 meeting with poloff, Abdellah Tamine, Director of Communications at the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA),confirmed press reports that the ministry had banned 1,191 books and religious materials at the 12th annual Algerian international book fair that runs from October 31 to November 9. He also said the ministry began pre-screening samples of materials in June, with the total number of pre-screened materials numbering 82,000. The French-language daily El Watan described the number of banned titles as a "new record" for the ministry. ¶3. (C) Poloff asked why the Algerian government, and not its citizens, chose which books were allowed to be sold at the book fair. Tamine responded that the ban was justified because it prevented extremists from spreading their message in Algeria (ref A). To underscore his point, he read a lengthy list of titles including "Bin Laden - The Forbidden Truths" and "The Best Known Terrorist Organizations". A CRITIC BANNED BUT NOT SILENCED -------------- ¶4. (C) Also featured prominently on this year's list of banned books was "The Jails of Algiers" by well-known Algerian journalist Mohamed Benchicou. In a November 3 press conference, Benchicou drew a bleak picture of press freedom in Algeria and used the occasion to denounce the ban on his book, which occurred on the first day of the book fair, according to press reports. Benchicou's 2004 booklet "Bouteflika: An Algerian Impostor" caused considerable consternation for the government. He subsequently served two years in prison for currency violations, a charge many saw as retribution for his booklet on Bouteflika. Benchicou maintained that his book was not written to provoke "le Pouvoir" (the leadership),but was merely a description of his time in prison. He added that major publishing houses in Algiers had turned down his request to publish the book, fearing intimidation and threats. (Note: The book has been published by Algerian publisher Inass and is available for sale in bookshops throughout the country.) According to Benchicou, the 2007 book fair marked the first time the Algerian government had required national publishing houses to submit lists of books for pre-screening. PUBLIC BASHING OF BOUTEFLIKA -------------- ¶5. (C) The banning of an unprecedented number of books and materials from the book fair has not been accompanied by a wholesale clampdown on freedom of expression in Algeria. The written press continues to print direct attacks on President Bouteflika (ref B),many of which are blunt and vicious to a degree not seen before. The October 31 edition of El Watan published a short piece entitled "Life after the Jurassic period" in which columnist Chawki Amari derisively called Bouteflika a dinosaur and added that once his era ends, the ALGIERS 00001633 002 OF 002 country will be faced with a "brood of turkeys ... flabby and without ambition." Recent criticism of Bouteflika has not been limited to the French press. The October 31 edition of the Arabic-language daily El Khabar published an interview with Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) political party leader Said Sadi in which he derided Interior Minister Zerhouni's efforts to protect individuals coming from the Oudja region in western Algeria. President Bouteflika, Hamid Temmar (Minister for Industry and Investment Promotion) and Chekib Khelil (Minister of Energy and Mines) all hail from the Oudja region. KNOWLEDGE IS LIGHT...IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT -------------- ¶6. (C) Back at the book fair, we felt out of place, as few foreigners wandered among the crowd of predominantly bearded Algerian men. The vast majority of books being sold were religious volumes, many of which were ornate hardcovers priced at only several hundred dinars (less than $10) per set. The religious texts were heavily subsidized to make them affordable to the average family. Nearby books on literature, cooking and philosophy, by contrast, were priced at several thousand dinars each. On November 4, Mohamed Boulahyia, legally recognized president of the Islamist party Islah, confirmed that religious books were being subsidized because "Islam is about bringing knowledge to the people." We asked Boulahyia why all books were not subsidized, in keeping with the Islamic tenet that "knowledge is light." He paused, and agreed that this should indeed be the case. "Perhaps you could subsidize the other books," he suggested. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Algeria is struggling in a very public way to find a balance between freedom of expression and stopping the spread of extremism. Banning certain books may indicate a genuine effort to clamp down on dangerous extremist thought, but banning the book of a political irritant such as Mohamed Benchicou recalls the heavy-handed approach of the past. Nevertheless, pockets of resistance to government restrictions exist, especially within the written press, and they have been testing the limits, probably with the quiet protection of elements within the government and security services. Ironically, while the government has sought to contain and control books on religious ideology through subsidies and censorship at the book fair, the resulting price discrepancy has led to the effective dominance of religious texts over all others. FORD