Algerian MPs pass new law tightening control over media

The Algerian parliament on Thursday approved a new media law that tightens control over the work of journalists and imposes new restrictions.

While the Algerian 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.

The law prohibits the Algerian media from receiving any funding or material assistance from any ‘foreign entity’.

Algeria’s Communication Minister Mohamed Bouslimani said the law aims to ‘enshrine freedom and pluralism of the press’ and ‘protect it from all forms of deviation’.

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The new law de facto excludes dual nationals from the right to own or contribute to the ownership of a media outlet in Algeria.

“Some chapters are positive while others represent a violation of press freedom, such as revealing sources to the judiciary if requested and restricting access to any funding,” RSF North Africa representative Khaled Drareni said.

Unlike the old law that required a formal authorization from the country’s ministry of communication to create a newspaper, the new one is much easier in that it says journalists can set up a media outlet by only making a statement.

Earlier this month, a court in Algeria sentenced prominent journalist Ihsane El Kadi to five years in prison. A vocal critic of Algeria’s government, Ihsane was arrested on December 24, 2023 on accusations of receiving foreign funding.