(FIJALGER/IFEX) – On 30 June 2000, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika qualified the visit of Algerian journalists and academics to Israel as “treasonous.” During a speech on 30 June before the Tunisian parliament in Tunis, where he was on an official visit, the Algerian president notably stated that “those who dared to visit the Zionist entity […]
(FIJALGER/IFEX) – On 30 June 2000, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika qualified the visit of Algerian journalists and academics to Israel as “treasonous.”
During a speech on 30 June before the Tunisian parliament in Tunis, where he was on an official visit, the Algerian president notably stated that “those who dared to visit the Zionist entity today are betraying the principles of the sacred liberty of peoples.” He added that “my country is deeply saddened, seeing that some of its children do not respect the traditions of their ancestors. They have contravened the values of their people and committed an unforgivable error toward their brothers in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.” He also invited the “people to denounce them” (the journalists). The visit was also described by the president as “violence” and a “crime.”
This new development raised fears that the Algerian journalists visiting Israel would be harassed upon their return to Algiers. However, upon their return on Monday 3 July, they were not bothered by the authorities. This said, a group of individuals presenting themselves as students belonging to an organisation close to an Algerian Islamist party did demonstrate in front of the Algiers airport, and chanted slogans which were hostile to the Algerian press. The demonstration followed calls from the president “to denounce this visit,” and criticism from political parties and public and private media close to Islamist and conservative circles. The security services dispersed the demonstrators. Journalists had come in large numbers to the airport to demonstrate their solidarity with the returning journalists and ensure their security.
In a country where violence is still present, the calls from the president and political parties for the journalists who travelled to Israel to be punished are to be taken seriously. The demonstration in front of the airport is proof of that, in addition to the fact that the journalists may still face legal proceedings.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– protesting the hateful speech against Algerian journalists
– asking for an end to the media campaign led by public media, notably television, against the journalists
– asking for assurances that the journalists will not face reprisals
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika
President of the Republic
El Mouradia, Algiers
Algeria
Fax: +213 2 68 64 80
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.