Algeria’s parliament has approved a new media law that tightens control over the work of journalists and imposes new restrictions.
While the government said the law is key to ensuring the free exercise of media activity under legal controls, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the law included “negative chapters” that constitute a violation of press freedom. “Some chapters are positive, some others represent a violation of press freedom, such as revealing sources to the judiciary, if requested, restricting access to any funding,” Khaled Drareni, the representative of RSF in North Africa, said.
Earlier this month, a court in Algeria sentenced Ihsane El Kadi, a prominent journalist, to five years in prison. Ihsane, a vocal critic of the government who was arrested on December 24, has been accused of receiving foreign funding. El Kadi’s arrest was also condemned by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
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