Algeria will censor films critical of official institutions and figures – Atalayar
Algeria is under the watchful eye of the international community. The decisions that Abdelmajdid Tebboune's government has been taking in recent months are causing criticism from various organisations that are concerned about attacks on civil rights in Algeria. The fact that "activists, journalists and lawyers have been prosecuted for their peaceful activism, their opinions or their professions", according to Human Rights Watch, which in January put the number of people imprisoned for participating in peaceful demonstrations at 250, is worrying, and the fact is that the latest decisions by Algiers follow a line that the international community does not like at all.
The new draft law that Abdelmajdid Tebboune's government is preparing, which it hopes to present at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers, brings with it important restrictions that have come as a surprise to a large part of society. It aims to "protect the sanctity, symbols, and national, spiritual and official values" in the cinema sector. Therefore, all new productions in Algeria must respect these symbols and not contravene official institutions and figures, something that has caused intense unease among film directors.
The reprisals that the executive will take if these restrictions are not respected are really harsh. They will include heavy fines and even prison sentences, which has ended up worrying industry professionals. The Algerian director and member of the Oscar Academy, Malek Ben Ismail, described the new measure as "shocking" and criticised "the ambiguous nature", and the "attack on freedom and even punitive nature of some of the provisions of the text, which foresees a prison sentence of up to three years" for those who direct this type of film.
This draft law is controversial, as some consider that the viewer is being sidelined and that a model of censorship is being imposed that harms the country's external vision. The Algerian director himself considers that the new measure should have been preceded by "political thinking about what could happen to Algerian cinema and put the spectator at the centre of the issue". However, the aim of the initiative is none other than to continue to control the official version and prevent the production of works that criticise the country's political and administrative establishments, as was previously done with Chadli Bendjedid as Algerian president.
If the situation in Algeria was already complicated before the bill was announced, it is even more so now. Tebboune's government is ignoring the advice - and warnings - issued by the international community. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that "the legislative framework is increasingly restrictive". These statements, made before knowing the intentions of the Executive regarding cinema, make them even more serious. In fact, they state that "although article 54 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, it also regulates the dissemination of information and opinions", which is why the situation on Algerian territory is increasingly worrying.
This is largely because the crisis in Algeria, both within and outside its borders, is growing. While instability is growing in Abdelmajdid Tebboune's country, the foreign policy crisis with its Moroccan neighbour and its French partner is no less serious. Algeria has opted to move closer to allies such as China and Russia in the face of a widening rift with Paris. This has not stopped the Algerian president from calling on France to 'protect itself from Morocco'. Although the publication of the recent interview with the former French ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, and his statements on Algeria's 'envy' of the Alawite kingdom, reveal much of the real motive behind Tebboune's words towards Emmanuel Macron.
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Algeria will censor films critical of official institutions and figures - Atalayar