Censorship fear as Jeune Afrique-l'intelligent disappears from news stands

Reporters Without Borders said it feared that the weekly Jeune Afrique-l'intelligent which disappeared from news stands had fallen victim to censorship. The missing 8-14 February number examined the role of the army in Algeria's recent history.The magazine's management said it had been given no reason for the fact that it had not been distributed. The international press freedom organisation said it feared the authorities had again turned the screw against press freedom and called for the magazine to be released for sale. Harassment of the independent press was a serious threat to free expression in Algeria, where a campaign for the 8 April 2004 presidential election is already under way. Issue no 2248 appeared to have been held back by the press section of the Ministry of Communications and Culture, which is responsible for authorising distribution of foreign publications. The magazine's editor-in-chief Marwane Ben Yahmed told Reporters Without Borders, "It is the first time since 1998 that our newspaper has been suspended in Algeria. Of course, we were banned from 1976 to 1998 but since then, despite some trenchant criticism of the government, we have not had any problem. "Nothing has been said officially but I believe the five-page article, 'Who the generals vote for' did not go down well with everyone, without mentioning the Algerian edition which carried a big cover photo of General Lamari." The article analysed the decisive role of the army in Algeria's recent history. In less than a month, Reporters Without Borders has recorded 10 incidents of journalists being summoned, two arrests and two suspended prison sentences coupled with fines.