Ihsane El-Kadi, a journalist and director of Radio M and the Maghreb Emergent news website, was arrested on the night of Friday 24 December, about 60 kilometres from the Algerian capital. The premises of both media outlets were sealed.
The Tebboune regime seems to be willing to finish with the two remaining free media in Algeria. Indeed, Ihsane El-Kadi, one of the last resistors to media censorship in Algeria has just fallen. The journalist was handcuffed when the premises of Radio M and Maghreb Emergent, of which he is the director, were searched on Saturday 24 December. The agents of the Algerian General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) also seized computer and filming equipment, before sealing the premises and leaving.
At the time of writing, nothing has yet emerged about the reason for his arrest. But according to Maghreb Emergent, “His arrest came the day after Radio M broadcast two programmes and published an article on the issues of the second mandate and the organisation of the Hirak. The journalist is still in police custody and has not yet been questioned.
Recently, Ihsane El-Kadi has been under pressure quite frequently. The Algerian journalist was sentenced last June to six months in prison following a complaint by former communication minister Ammar Belhimer. In his appeal trial, held on 18 December, the prosecution requested an increase in the sentence. The verdict of this procedure, expected on 25 December, has not yet been made public.
With this arrest and the sealing of the premises, almost all media outlets are now under control, either because they are financially dependent on the state or because they are suffocated by debts or legal proceedings. Journalists who seem to resist are sent to the prison.
Furthermore, it should be noted that since the arrest of journalist Ihsane El Kadi and the sealing of the premises of the two media outlets, “Radio M” and “Maghreb Emergent”, a vast national and international campaign of media and human rights solidarity has been launched. Journalists and human rights defenders have publicly denounced the arrest.
