Director of a daily newspaper questioned over armed forces caricature

In a letter addressed to the Minister of the Interior, Yazid Zerhouni, Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) expressed concern over the questioning of Mohamed Benchicou, director of the daily Le Matin, by the criminal investigation department over a drawing that caricatured high-ranking military figures. "It is the third time in less than a week that a journalist has been questioned by the police. We fear this may be the start of a long series of trials, with the general elections just a few months away", stated Robert Ménard, Secretary-General of the organization. According to information colected by RSF, the director of the daily Le Matin, Mohamed Benchicou, was questioned by the criminal investigation department in Algiers on the morning of January 30, for having published a caricature of high-ranking military officers. He was called in after a complaint for defamation was lodged by the Ministry of Defense for a drawing by caricaturist Le Hic, published in the January 4 - 5 2002 edition. "Le Matin considers this hearing, which follows those of caricaturist Dilem and journalist Salima Tlemçani, to be part of a worrying intimidation campaign with the aim of taming the free press in Algeria", the management confirmed on January 29, when they received the notification of Benchicou being pulled in for questioning. Earlier, on January 28, journalist Salima Tlemçani, of the French language daily El Watan, was questioned by the criminal investigation department, following a complaint for "defamation" from the Ministry of Defense. This hearing followed the publication of an article on December 11, 2001 concerning nominations to the Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS, previously the military security service). "This backs up my idea that somehow my investigations have uncovered things much more serious than information about the people mentioned in the December 11 article", the journalist declared to AFP. On January 25, caricaturist Ali Dilem was questioned by the criminal investigation department concerning a satirical drawing criticizing the armed forces published in the French language daily Liberté. Dilem was heard after the Minister for Defense lodged a complaint with the public prosecutor of the court of Algiers for the drawing, published on November 29, 2001. The drawing was judged to be "defamatory and contemptuous of high-ranking officers of the military". According to Ali Dilem's lawyer, Me Khaled Bourayou, "the aim is obviously to intimidate Dilem, to harass him". "I'm convinced I am on the right track, as I say what 30 million Algerians are thinking. If they want to stop me, they'll have to put 30 million people in prison", Dilem said in a statement to Reuters. In May 2001, the Algerian parliament modified the penal code, introducing harsher sentences and fines for defamation in the press. Reporters Sans Frontières, which condemned these amendments at the time, considered that the text could only serve to increase self-censorship within Algerian editorial teams. A few months earlier, Mohammed Lamari, the Chief of Staff of the armed forces had stated: "You have seen and you will continue to observe, through scandalous writings, caricatures, and other things, outrages and nonsense concerning your armed forces. Our obligation of discretion cannot prevent us from expressing our regret at the contemptible use made of the freedoms so dearly acquired by our people."