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In October, Internet users based in Algeria reported to our editorial staff the inability to connect to Yabiladi.com. A problem that actually dates back to August 2020, regardless of the country's Internet provider.
Following an enquiry, it was discovered that the number of readers from Algerian IP addresses had been declining since July. Visits had gone from 478,000 in June to 208,000 in August. The number fell sharply to 87,000 visits in November.
⛔️?? Des internautes en Algérie nous ont remonté une impossibilité de se connecter à https://t.co/jaKVMbpehk. Le problème dure depuis plus de 2 mois et concerne les 3 opérateurs internet ??https://t.co/ICvCS4pANG reste par contre accessible aux internautes algériens pic.twitter.com/1ppavFq75y
— Yabiladi.com (@yabiladi_fr) October 12, 2020
In order to understand the reasons behind this phenomenon and determine whether the media was subjected to censorship on behalf Algerian authorities, Yabiladi contacted the Embassy of Algeria in Morocco. An authorized source asked for an «email» to be sent with the questions wished to be answered. Oddly, the Algerian official also suggested that we "get in touch with the Moroccan embassy in Algiers» for more information.
Censorship that affects several Algerian media
The censorship, which subsequently affected several Moroccan news sites, also affected Algerian media. On Wednesday, several Algerian newspapers declared that the authorities of their country had subjected them to censorship.
Twala news site, created on October 15, denounced in a statement an «arbitrary censorship which has affected other Algerian media in recent years». «Several readers have told us that they can no longer access the site from the three mobile networks and broadband (…) It is an attack on the freedom of the press and the freedom to inform in Algeria», the newspaper added.
For its part, Casbah Tribune, an online media created by imprisoned journalist Khaled Drareni, has also been blocked in Algeria. His team, quoted by Interlignes which itself has been under censorship since April, confirms that access to their website in Algeria is «impossible except via VPN».
Plusieurs journaux en ligne dont https://t.co/gmK0i7LBzt, Tariq News, Maghreb Emergent, L'Avant-Garde Algérie, Casbah Tribune et d'autres sont censurés en Algérie depuis le mercredi 2 décembre. Les sites sont inaccessibles à partir des trois réseaux mobiles et de l'ADSL.
— Abdallah BENADOUDA (@abenadouda) December 2, 2020
«They thus join the long list of media censored in Algeria, including Interlignes Algeria and Radio M Post to which access has been prohibited for more than eight months». The list of sites subjected to silence seems long and would also include Tariq News, Maghreb Emergent, L'Avant-Garde Algeria.
These new cases of censorship, which affect both the Algerian and Moroccan press, follow the conviction, in November, of TSA news site with a 3,300 euros fine, and another 1,320 euros fine for the publication director.
The Algiers-based court of Sidi M'Hamed even imposed another 1,320 euros fine on the journalist who wrote the article. According to its management, TSA, considered as the biggest news site in the country, has not been accessible in Algeria since June 2019.
The Algerian authorities no longer seem to tolerate information that does not follow the official line, whether the media source is Algerian or Moroccan.
