"L'Observateur",Women in Politics

• Date: 1985 - Present

• Location: Africa

• Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion

• Medium: Magazine/journal

• Artist/Author/Producer: Staff of "L'Observateur"

• Confronting Bodies: Algerian Government

• Dates of action: October 22, 1992

• Location: Algeria

Description of the Art Work

The French-language weekly magazine "L'Observateur."

Description of incident

""L'Observateur," known as a relatively cautious but well- written and imaginative weekly, was suspended indefinitely on October 22,after a special feature on 'Women in Politics' had included a verbatim interview with an anonymous FIS supporter under the headline 'Islamic Women. Comfortable in Their Skin? Uncomfortable in Their Century!' The interviewee minced no words, declaring that the time had come for the armed 'dijhad.' This, he explained, was just one type of 'dijhad' (holy struggle); others included the 'financial dijhad,' the spiritual 'dijhad'... We have given every chance to the people who govern. We have gone through all the stages they wanted."

"Other articles in the same issue referred to the danger of 'dialogue becoming monologue' (by the government) and to the struggle against political violence, which we have ended up, for want of a better word, calling 'terrorism.' The average citizen has become hostage to this shadow-play, incomprehensible and diffuse. Only certain soundbites, mediated by the television, succeed in giving keys to understanding the scale of the drama'.

Results of incident

On the day following "L'Observateur's" suspension, its management were not permitting access to the paper's journalists. Editor Hassan Haddouche did say, however, that he regarded the suspension as 'justified' in the light of what had been 'negligence, a lack of professionalism' on the part of the editorial staff in allowing the interview to be published."

"L'Observateur" is suspended indefinitely.

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Record no 314