Provincial correspondent gets three-month suspended prison sentence for using leaked documents

Reporters Without Borders condemns the three-month suspended prison sentence and fine of 30,000 dinars (350 euros) which a court in the city of Annaba (600 km east of Algiers) imposed yesterday on journalist Noureddine Boukraa for “violating the confidentiality of a judicial investigation by use of classified documents.” The court dismissed additional charges of libel and damaging the “reputation of a state entity” brought by the prosecutor's office, which had requested a more severe sentence. “Press offences should not be punished by prison sentences, whether suspended or not,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The fragile freedoms available to journalists in Algeria need to be consolidated by means of legislative reform. Boukraa was punished despite respecting and applying the correct procedures for journalistic investigation and verification.” A correspondent for the national Arabic-language daily Ennahar, Boukraa was convicted in connection with a 12 November 2007 article in which, on the basis of leaked documents, he accused members of the police of influence-peddling. ------------------------------------------------------------ 22.10.2008 Reporters without borders urges dismissal of case after ministry seeks one year jail sentence against journalist Reporters Without Borders said today it was shocked that the public ministry had called for a one-year jail sentence against journalist Noureddine Boukraa, at a court hearing in Annaba, 600 kilometres east of the capital Algiers on 13 October 2008. Sentence is due on 26 October. Boukraa, who worked for the daily newspaper Ennahar, was convicted of three charges after the public security chief in Annaba, Draia Messaoud, laid a complaint over an article on 12 November 2007, in which the journalist accused members of the local police force of influence-peddling. He was charged with “breaching the confidentiality of an investigation by using classified documents”, “damaging the reputation of a constitutional state body” and “defamation”. Messaoud, who is a civil party to the case, is claiming 60,000 dinars (700 euros) in damages. The journalist obtained his information from a former head of the security branch of the police force, who has also been charged. Boukraa was held in custody from March to June 2008. “The court has cast doubt on my profession as a journalist by charging me with telling the truth”, Boukraa told Reporters Without Borders. He said the judges did not contest the reliability of what he reported but the fact of divulging the information. “I am in now way obliged to preserve secrecy when an official stops respecting his commitment to public service and is motivated by personal gain”, he added. “Noureddine Boukraa is facing prison for having exposed nepotism within some services of the police. This case shows how some representatives of the public ministry are subjugated to local bosses and their highly-placed protectors,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said. “It would be completely unacceptable for the journalist to be jailed for having sought to inform the public about certain abuses. We urge the court in Annaba to dismiss and close the case”, it added. Boukraa has now left Ennahar and is working for the daily newspaper Algérie News. Algeria is ranked 121st out of 173 countries on Reporters Without Borders' world press freedom rankings released on 22 October 2008. For more information.