(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni, RSF protested the attack on Nadir Bensebaa, a journalist with the daily “Le Matin”, by members of the anti-riot forces in Tizi Ouzou (in Kabylia). Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, asked the minister “to launch an inquiry in order to identify and punish the attacker as […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni, RSF protested the attack on Nadir Bensebaa, a journalist with the daily “Le Matin”, by members of the anti-riot forces in Tizi Ouzou (in Kabylia). Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, asked the minister “to launch an inquiry in order to identify and punish the attacker as soon as possible.” “It is the duty of the authorities to protect journalists during riots and not to attack them,” he added.
According to information obtained by RSF, Bensebaa was attacked on 25 May 2001 by a police officer while he was covering the riots in Tizi Ouzou. According to the journalist, the officer broke his night-stick on his back and kicked and punched him even though he had shown his press card. The journalist adds that other police officers on the scene only intervened once he was on the ground. Bensebaa, who has been hospitalised, has received a five day leave from work.
For further information, contact Virginie Locussol at RSF, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: middle-east@rsf.fr, Internet: http://www.rsf.fr
