Radio M, known as the last independent media in Algeria, was searched and sealed on December 24 by agents of the Algerian General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).
The day before, its director, Ihsane El-Kadi, had been arrested without clear reason at his home and taken away by the authorities, marking a significant setback for freedom of the press and expression in Algerian territory.
The day after his arrest, the director of Radio M and the Maghreb Émergent news site was taken to the headquarters of the two media, handcuffed, where the Algerian police carried out a search of the premises.
According to Zoheïr Aberkane, an Algerian journalist, the authorities took “at least sixteen computers” and sealed off the premises of the independent media.
“They never presented a document proving the legality of the search, they just said they had it. […] They took all the equipment and all the documentation, as well as all the work material, ”he says on the phone from Algeria.
He affirms that in the eyes of the lawyers, the sealing operation would not comply with the legislation, since it “does not obey any court decision”.
According to observers, the director of Radio M is being prosecuted in particular under article 95 bis, which provides for a prison sentence of five to seven years for anyone who receives “funds, a gift or an advantage […] to carry out or incite to carry out acts likely to harm the security of the State”.
“Authorities just stopped at the crime of foreign funding and the fact that Radio M supposedly received unauthorized donations. The whole operation revolves around the finances of the media”, specifies Mr. Aberkane.
Harassed for years
This is not the first time that Ihsane El-Kadi has been hounded because of his work as a journalist, underlines Zoheïr Aberkane, who worked for Radio M.
“This is the fourth time that he has passed through this DGSI center. The first time was in 2020, it was practically a kind of kidnapping, he says. In 2021, he was also arrested when leaving the offices of Radio M, which resulted in a conviction. There was also quite recently, last November 27, where they told him to visit them saying “you know the way”.
In the eyes of Lynda Abbou, journalist for the site Maghreb Émergent, this new episode marks “a black page” for journalism in Algeria.
“This arrest is a very hard blow for what remains of the press and its freedom,” she said in an interview with The Canadian Press. I still remain reserved, since it is my media and my director, but after the closure of Radio M, I do not see where the opposition to power could express its opinions and positions. »
She adds that the detention of Mr. El-Kadi, who is still in police custody at the moment, would “profoundly change the current media sphere in Algeria”.
Laws present, but circumvented
Although freedom of the Algerian press has been protected by all constitutions since 1989, the reality on the ground is quite different.
“The law prohibits the imprisonment of journalists, but several of them have been imprisoned in recent years. They are arrested for their work, but their legal file often relates to facts that are not directly related to the press, to circumvent the constitution”, underlines Ms. Abbou.
Thus, the fate of Ihsane El-Kadi and Radio M is uncertain, and the director will spend the end-of-year celebrations in pre-trial detention.
In order to put pressure on the Algerian government, the two targeted media have launched an online petition to demand the “immediate release” of the journalist and the unsealing of their offices.
For their part, Mr. El-Kadi’s lawyers are waiting for the beginning of the new year to obtain his file and take note of the charges filed against him.
“With the support committee in place, we will consider future actions, in particular a first press conference at the start of the year. We also want to extend the mobilization to actors, both those of the Algerian diaspora and foreigners, journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International”, maintains Mr. Aberkane, adding that the fight was announced to be “tough” for the Algerian independent press.