Algerian journalist Ihsane El-Kadi was sentenced on Sunday April 2 to five years in prison, three of which are closed by the Sidi M'hamed court in Algiers. The verdict is close to the indictment of the prosecution who had requested, on March 26, a five-year prison sentence. Justice also followed the demands of the prosecution by pronouncing the dissolution of the agency Interface Médias, publisher of Radio M and the news site Maghreb Emergent, which are among the last free media in the country, accompanied by a fine of 10 million dinars (about 68,000 euros) and the confiscation of all the property of the accused.
Ihsane El-Kadi's lawyers had decided to boycott the trial, denouncing breaches of the presumption of innocence and stressing that the conditions for a fair trial were not met. On December 24, 2022, the night arrest of Ihsane El-Kadi by agents of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) and the deliberate violations of procedure announced a conviction, according to them.
Post-Hirak repression
An emblematic journalist in the fight for freedom of expression, Ihsane El-Kadi stood up to the authorities by refusing to give in to fear in the face of the repressive counter-offensive that fell on the Hirak actors. He was prosecuted for "receiving funds from abroad for propaganda purposes" and "for [having] performed acts likely to undermine the security and normal functioning of institutions".
According to his lawyers, the accusation of receiving funds from abroad is not supported by any evidence in the file. Mᵉ Zoubida Assoul revealed that the accusation is only based on a sum of 25,000 pounds sterling (28,000 euros) sent in installments by her daughter Tin Hinan El-Kadi who resides in the United Kingdom. The latter, a shareholder of Interface Médias, sent this money to allow the payment of the salaries of journalists and employees of Interface Médias whose accounts were blocked, explains the defense.
Accused of being an "indic" by the president
According to Ihsane El-Kadi's lawyers, the real object of the wrath of the authorities is elsewhere. On the one hand, in an article in which the journalist wondered about the attitude of the high command of the army in the face of a possible second term of the Head of State Abdelmadjid Tebboune, elected at the end of 2019. On the other hand, in a tweet in which the press boss disputed the fact that 20 billion dollars (about 18.5 million euros) had been recovered from the oligarchs of the clan of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The fate of the journalist appeared sealed as early as February 24, 2023, when Mr. Tebboune accused him during an interview on national television of being a "khabardji", an infamous term meaning "indic" or informant of foreign powers. During this same program, the Algerian president confirmed that he was behind the closure and sealing of Radio M and Maghreb Emergent.
During his trial, Ihsane El-Kadi told the judge: "I dreamed that I filed a complaint against the President of the Republic for defamation and won my case. The journalist's dream is not about to come true.
