(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced dismay over the verdict on appeal against Algerian journalist Hassan Bourras. On 23 December 2003, Bourras appeared before a court in Saida, southwestern Algeria. He no longer faces a two-year prison sentence, but was ordered to pay 100,000 dinars (approx. US$1,440; 1,150 euros) in damages and interest, and was fined […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced dismay over the verdict on appeal against Algerian journalist Hassan Bourras. On 23 December 2003, Bourras appeared before a court in Saida, southwestern Algeria. He no longer faces a two-year prison sentence, but was ordered to pay 100,000 dinars (approx. US$1,440; 1,150 euros) in damages and interest, and was fined an additional 10,000 dinars (approx. US$144; 115 euros) for “defamation”.
RSF said that while it is relieved that the prison sentence handed down at an earlier hearing was not upheld, the sentence remains unacceptable in principle. “The original two-year prison sentence was particularly heavy and demonstrated the authorities’ determination to intimidate local correspondents,” RSF noted. “Even if the Algerian court system did not confirm the earlier verdict, the total sum in damages to be paid remains very heavy and is completely unfair.”
On 6 November, a court in El Bayadh, western Algeria, had sentenced Bourras to two years in prison and banned him from practicing his profession for five years.
Bourras is the El-Bayadh correspondent for several newspapers, including the Oran-based regional newspaper “El-Djazaïri” and the national daily “El-Youm”. He is also a member of the Algerian Human Rights League.
Bourras was imprisoned from 6 November to 2 December. The particularly harsh jail term stemmed from two articles that appeared in “El Djazaïri”. One article said the local prosecutor’s wife had forged a document in order to obtain a job and the other reported on a land scandal implicating high-ranking El Bayadh officials. Bourras has documented proof of his accusations and witnesses who back up both stories.
