(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on members of the European Parliament to take a strong stand in favour of human rights. On 9 and 10 October 2002, the members of parliament (MPs) were to vote on approval of the Euro-Med Association Agreement linking Algeria and the European Union (EU). The organisation pointed out that Article […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on members of the European Parliament to take a strong stand in favour of human rights. On 9 and 10 October 2002, the members of parliament (MPs) were to vote on approval of the Euro-Med Association Agreement linking Algeria and the European Union (EU).
The organisation pointed out that Article 2, dealing with respect for human rights, had been ignored by Tunisia and Israel in the association agreements they had signed with the EU. Both countries have been much criticised in recent months for rights violations.
The organisation urged the European Parliament to adopt a draft resolution approved by its foreign affairs committee, which called on the Algerian government to keep its promise to respect human rights and for a monitoring mechanism by both sides to be set up. It asked Euro-MPs to see to it that the committee’s draft was referred to in the resolution approving the Algerian association agreement.
Several Algerian journalists have been intimidated or physically attacked in recent weeks by people who believe that they have been defamed by the media and refuse to use legal channels to protest.
Nabil Chaoui, of the daily “Le Jeune Indépendant”, was threatened at his office in Annaba on 19 September by two men. An article by Chaoui was published three days earlier in which he quoted the Seybouz-Annaba Chamber of Commerce president criticising a local industrialist. The journalist told RSF that the three men were the businessman’s aides.
Ali Hemici, of the daily newspaper “El Ahdath”, and Ghanem Khemissi, of “Erraï”, were threatened in Annaba in mid-September by a local official of the Rassemblement national démocratique (RND) at the party’s offices. Other party members had to intervene to prevent a physical attack on the journalists, who had written critical articles about the official.
On 7 August, employees of the state-owned ENTV television station gathered outside the daily “El Youm”‘s main offices in Algiers to protest a cartoon in that day’s paper that poked fun at the way women were hired by the television station (see IFEX alert of 14 August 2002). The demonstrators shouted insults at the newspaper’s journalists and threatened the cartoonist, Djamel Noun, who then went into hiding for several days because of threats.
On 20 July, Abdelhaï Beliardouh, a correspondent for the daily “El Watan” in Tebessa, was attacked at his home by four officials of the Nememchas Chamber of Commerce (covering Tebessa and Souk Ahras). One of his attackers was armed, and another was identified as Chamber President Saâd Garboussi. Beliardouh was beaten up and then dragged by the collar through the town streets. He was publicly insulted and then taken by car to the cellar of Garboussi’s house before being released.
An article by Beliardouh had appeared in that day’s newspaper in which the journalist stated that a police informer had said Garboussi had funded terrorist activities. Shortly afterwards, the journalists’ union asked the authorities to allow journalists to carry guns.
Apart from these disturbing incidents of score-settling, RSF is also concerned about the application of changes to the press law in May 2001 that increased penalties and fines for defamation (see IFEX alerts of 11 July, 19 June, 31 and 22 May, 25 and 24 April, among others). Several journalists working for privately-owned media have since been prosecuted. In the first four months of 2002, many were summoned by police following Defence Ministry complaints of defamation.
Several journalists have also been physically attacked by security forces in recent months during rioting in the Kabylia region. On 7 October, while reporting on disturbances in Irdjen, Samir Leslous, a photographer for the daily “Liberté”, fell and broke his leg while being chased by riot police.
In addition, the fate of journalists Aziz Bouabdallah, Djamil Fahassi and Salah Kitouni, who each disappeared between 1995 and 1997, is still a mystery. An RSF fact-finding mission in January 2001 concluded that they were kidnapped by the security forces. The authorities have made no serious investigation of what happened to the journalists.
