Due To The Publication Of A Film Of Women Protesting, Two Algerian Journalists Were Detained

Two journalists were detained by Algerian authorities after they released a video in which businesswomen objected to the treatment they received at an event organized by the government.

A local watchdog group called the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees released a statement on Saturday, stating that Sofiane Ghirous and Ferhat Omar of the news website “Algerie Scoop” were detained last week for transmitting content that the authorities claimed “constituted incitement and hate speech.”

At an innovation event hosted by the Ministry of Education and Professional Training, female entrepreneurs accused the government of “humiliating” and “contemptuously” treating them.

Ghirous is the chief editor of Algerie Scoop, which was granted official government accreditation in 2021. Omar is the director of the website.

Reporters Without Borders, an organization that advocates for press freedom, has ranked Algeria 139th out of 180 countries in 2024 for freedom of expression, criticizing the nation for its “pressure on independent media and threats to arrest journalists.”

Popular news website Radio M said in June that it would stop publishing because of “impossible conditions” while its editor, Ihsane El Kadi, is serving a five-year prison sentence for accepting foreign funds for his media company’s coverage, which was frequently critical of the government.