(FIJALGER/IFEX) – On Saturday 7 April 2001, the tribunal of Oran (400 km west of Algiers) sentenced Arab Izarouken, publication director of the Oran-based regional daily “La Voix de l’Oranie”, and Aouari Abdelkrim, local columnist with the same newspaper, to six monthsâ imprisonment with no chance of parole for libel. “La Voix de l’Oranie” is […]
(FIJALGER/IFEX) – On Saturday 7 April 2001, the tribunal of Oran (400 km west of Algiers) sentenced Arab Izarouken, publication director of the Oran-based regional daily “La Voix de l’Oranie”, and Aouari Abdelkrim, local columnist with the same newspaper, to six monthsâ imprisonment with no chance of parole for libel.
“La Voix de l’Oranie” is accused of having published remarks by a local personality, a member of an organisation of children of war veterans, in which he names fourteen local pesonalities and describes them as “a local mafia, responsable for the squandering of land in Oran.”
The newspaper does not consider the published remarks to be libelous, as the targeted individuals were afforded the opportunity to respond to the comments and give their opinion on the issue. The newspaper plans to appeal the tribunalâs decison.
The IFJ Algerian Centre recalls that at the end of February, the government adopted an amendment to the Penal Code which considerably toughened penalties for journalists and media found guilty of libel (see IFEX alerts of 15 and 8 March and 22 January 2001).