Algerian Presenter Fired For Not Glorifying Interim President Saleh

MADRID – Skyline International monitors the arbitrary dismissal of an Algerian journalist for refusing to glorify interim president Saleh on television.

On June 15, 2019, an Algerian reporter on the New Media channel, Radwan Bouassak, reported that he had received arbitrary dismissal from his work as a broadcaster because of his refusal to glorify Algerian interim President Abdelkader Ben Saleh in his talk shows.

Busak pointed out that he tried to be objective in his episodes by asking different questions to the guests of the program, but the owners of the private channel did not like this, which led to the unjustified termination of his work in the channel.

“The continuation of political disputes and differences of opinion in Algeria is normal, in light of the political crisis in the country, but it is unusual for a journalist to be dismissed because he does not want to declare support for an interim president” says Muath Hamid, Middle East and North Africa official at Skyline International. 

Hamed also says that the dismissal of Busak is a flagrant violation of labour and freedom standards following Algerian own laws as Article 48 states a “guarantee to freedom of expression and assembly and holding meetings of citizens.”

Hamed stresses that the decisions of the channel “New Media” are completely incompatible with the provisions of Article 50 of Algerian law, which further states: “the freedom of written and audiovisual media and media networks is guaranteed and not restricted in any form of tribal control” and that the dissemination of information, ideas comes within the framework of the law and respect for the nation’s values and religious, moral and cultural values. “

Skyline International calls on the channel “New Media ” to immediately retract the decision to dismiss anchor “Radwan Busak” as the decision is a violation of freedom of opinion and expression and journalism.