17 July 1998
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a
nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to
the defense of our colleagues' rights throughout the
world, is writing to express deep concern about the
recent decision of the Algerian government to expel
some 70 journalists from the government-run Mazafran
hotel in the town of Zaralda. As Your Excellency is
aware, the Mazafran is one of two hotels in the
vicinity of Algiers where dozens of journalists have
sought refuge from the brutal assassination campaign
waged by armed Islamic groups against members of the
Algerian press. According to CPJ's research, 59
journalists have been murdered since May 1993, in
addition to several other media employees.
The decision to expel the journalists was prompted
by the government's plan to refurbish the hotel in
advance of the Organization of African Unity summit to
be held in Algiers next year. Authorities have offered
the journalists alternative housing at the Matares
hotel, located in a tourist village in Tipaza several
miles further west of Algiers. The journalists,
however, have protested the move, arguing that the new
location will significantly jeopardize their security
because of its considerable distance from the capital
where most regularly commute to work. Four journalists
are currently in the third week of a hunger strike
initiated in protest of the eviction order and
privately run newspapers yesterday observed a one-day
strike in a show of solidarity with their
colleagues.
CPJ believes that adequate security is essential
for the functioning of the Algerian press, which over
the last five years has been forced to operate under
near-impossible conditions. We respectfully urge Your
Excellency to commit the full resources of your office
to ensure the safety of Algerian journalists in
practicing their internationally recognized right to
report news and opinion. We further ask you to ensure
that any government actions affecting the press seek
to maximize, rather than diminish, the security of
journalists and their ability to carry out their
professional duties.
Thank you for your attention to this important
matter. We look forward to a reply at your earliest
convenience.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director