US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS1958

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001958 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, MARR, AG, Press Freedom 
SUBJECT: NEWSPAPER EDITOR COMMENTS ON BENCHICHOU CASE, 
BOUTEFLIKA'S REASONS FOR PRESSURING THE INDEPENDENT PRESS 
 
REF: ALGIERS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, Reason 1.4 (d) 
 
 1.  (C) During a September 19 visit to Oran, DCM and PD 
staff visited the offices of the high-brow, French-language 
daily Le Quotidien d'Oran.  Le Quotidien's editor in chief, 
Mohammed Abdou Benabou (strictly protect), offered his views 
on President Bouteflika's efforts to rein-in the independent 
press since his reelection in 2004, and in particular the 
series of legal actions against Mohammed Benchicou, the 
editor in chief of the defunct Le Matin newspaper (reftels). 
 
2.  (C) Benabou, while stressing that he obviously supported 
freedom of the press and expression, argued that much of the 
Algerian independent press, and especially Benchichou, had 
been used by a group of retired generals and wealthy 
businessmen opposed to Bouteflika's reelection.  Benabou said 
that Benchicou had told him personally in early 2004 that he 
was helping to "bring down" Bouteflika.  Benabou added that 
he had warned Benchicou to stick to journalism and not allow 
himself and his paper to become openly identified as 
instruments of anti-Bouteflika propaganda, but Benchicou 
would not listen and ended up in jail, initially on charges 
of violating controls on foreign currency. 
 
3.  (C) The Le Quotidien editor said that rival presidential 
candidate Ali Benflis had also been misled by the same group 
of retired generals, who had encouraged him to run against 
Bouteflika with promises of behind-the-scenes military 
backing.  The actual commanders of the Algerian military at 
the time of the elections, however, made very clear the 
military would remain neutral in the election, thus ensuring 
that Benflis would fail and leaving Benchicou exposed. 
Benabou said that he had correctly predicted well before the 
elections that the military would not oppose Bouteflika's 
reelection.  "I understood that Bouteflika had amassed enough 
power to make any of the generals retire without the 
slightest reaction from the military, and that is what 
happened," he commented. 
 
4.  (C) Benabou went on to complain that the Algerian 
independent press was unprofessional, often intentionally 
provocative, and inclined toward ad hominem attacks.  The 
noted cartoonist Dilem, for example, had published 
caracatures in the daily Liberte suggesting that Bouteflika 
was homosexual.  Le Matin had published several scurrilous 
attacks on former Algerian Ambassador to Washington Driss 
Djazairi, including one asserting that the FBI had been 
called to the ambassador's residence to investigate charges 
that the ambassador was beating his wife.  This was neither 
journalism nor dissent, but rather vicious personal attacks. 
Benabou stated that he could criticize Bouteflika any time he 
wanted without fear of repercussion because he had never 
stooped to personal invective and had an established record 
as a fair and objective commentator. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
5.  (C) Some of Benabou's comments may be self-serving, but 
he and his paper do enjoy a reputation for seriousness and 
editorial independence.  In reporting his comments at length, 
we do not intend to diminish in any way the seriousness of 
the GOA's actions against the independent press over the past 
year.  That said, we believe Benabou's description of the 
manipulation of some papers by powerful men opposed to 
Bouteflika's reelection and the President's subsequent 
decision to make an example of Benchicou is largely accurate. 
 Benabou is also spot on in his analysis of Bouteflika's 
power relative to the military.  Since his reelection, 
Bouteflika has retired the CHOD, all the service chiefs, and 
much of the senior staff of the Ministry of National Defense, 
replacing them with officers who owe their positions to him. 
This represents a dramatic shift in political power in 
Algeria from the military to a civilian president. 
ERDMAN