The Algerian government has decided to ban the distribution of the current issues of three French publications – L'Express, Marianne and Journal du Dimanche – on the eve of the April 9, 2009 election (where the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is running for the third term), Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported..
"This censorship is disgraceful," Paris-based RSF said, expressing outrage at the incident. "It constitutes a denial of press freedom and therefore a denial of democracy. Such measures unfortunately recur with some regularity in present-day Algeria. Its time now that the authorities must allow the country's citizens to have access to free and independent news and information."
The secretary of state for information announced that the latest issue (April 2-8, 2009) of the weekly L'Express, has an article by Dominique Lagarde headlined 'Abdelaziz and his people', which was confiscated under article 26 of the 07/90 news media law.
The article says, "Periodical and special publications, national and foreign, whatever their nature and their destination, must not include any illustration, account, information or insert which is contrary to Islamic morality, national values or human rights, or which condones racism, fanaticism or treason."
L'Express Managing Editor Christophe Barbier said, "We vigorously protest the censorship of L'Express this week in Algeria (. . .) This censorship is unacceptable." The offending article can also be read on the magazine's website (http://tinyurl.com/cn9kva ).
The latest issue (April 4-10) of the weekly Marianne" has a story headlined 'Bouteflika, the last sultan'. The offending article in Journal du Dimanche is headlined: "Algerians in France vote, polls despair". These offending articles can also be read on the Internet.
Foreign publications are often seized by Algerian authorities. Afrique Magazine was confiscated on March 7 because of an article by Farid Alilat titled 'Algeria, twilight of the generals', which supposedly violated "national values." The October 30, 2008 issue of L'Express was seized because of a cover story that was deemed to be an "attack on Islam." It was headlined: "Jesus and Mohammed - their itinerary, their message and their vision of the world". An issue of Jeune Afrique was banned in May 2008 because of an article on the Algerian region of Kabylie.
On April 6, RSF wrote an open letter to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika expressing its concern over continuing press freedom violations in the country.
