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Alert

RSF welcomes release of Ahmed Benaoum

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed the release of Ahmed Benaoum, editor of the Er-rai El Aam Press Group, who was acquitted by an Oran court on 19 June 2005.

The organisation regretted, however, that Benaoum spent 11 months in jail. RSF also pointed out that editor Mohamed Benchicou has been in prison for one year and that "other journalists face imprisonment at any time for upsetting the government."

Benaoum had been sentenced to two years in prison based on a complaint from the tax authorities. Scores of other complaints were also filed against him in defamation and common-law cases.

On 28 June 2004, Benaoum was waiting to appear before an Oran court in a defamation case when he was served with a warrant that led to his being taken directly from the courthouse to prison. The warrant issued by the Oran Court of Criminal Appeal was based on a complaint from the Office for Estate Agency Promotion and Management.

The press group headed by Benaoum published the dailies "Er-rai" and "Le Journal de l'Ouest", as well as the weekly "Détective", until August 2003, when the state-run printing house demanded the newspapers pay their debts immediately. Unable to pay, the newspapers were suspended (see IFEX alerts of 19 and 3 September, 19 and 18 August 2003).

Mohamed Benchicou, editor of the suspended daily "Le Matin", has been held in Algiers' al-Harrash prison for one year. His request for release on health grounds was refused on 20 April 2005 (see alerts of 25 April, 30 March and 4 January 2005, and others).