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Alert

Second foreign publication banned

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of an 11 March 2005 IFJ media release:

IFJ condemns "all-out attack" on free expression in Algeria

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the seizure orders issued over the past several days against a number of foreign publications in Algeria. Following the ban of the monthly Jeune Afrique Magazine, the French weekly l'Express is the latest publication to be targeted by authorities.

"The government has launched an all-out attack on press freedom," said Nadir Benseba, coordinator of IFJ's regional office in Algeria. "These [seizure orders] demonstrate the regime's discomfort in the face of a press that continues to tackle embarrassing issues for the authorities."

In its March 2005 edition, Jeune Afrique Magazine broached the delicate issue of Algeria's "disappeared", while l'Express devoted an eight-page report to the subject of Algeria's complex power dynamic in its 28 February- 6 March 2005 issue. When reached by the IFJ's regional office, Jeune Afrique Magazine journalists expressed fears of a second ban with the magazine poised to release another controversial issue in its April edition, which will feature the notorious Khalifa case, to which members of the government's inner circle have been linked.

The IFJ calls on the international community to respond to these pressures on free expression in Algeria. The organisation also urges the Algerian authorities to revoke the bans and put an end to threats and intimidation attempts against the media.