In commemoration of the International Day of the Press, the Benchicou Committee called on the general public, representatives of civil society, civil and democratic rights campaigners and editors and journalists, to take part in a meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, May 3, at the Press House.
Liberte Algeria reports that the main goals of this event are to encourage a discussion on the freedom of expression and the freedom of press, to raise the public awareness in Algeria concerning these issues and to support the committee's demand to release the imprisoned journalist, Mohammed Benchicou.
The "Committee for the Liberation of Hafnaoui Ghoul and Mohamed Benchicou" was formed by representatives of several leading Algerian newspapers, in addition to the Union of Algerian Journalists and a national ethics council. Mohamed Benchicou, editor of Le Matin newspaper, was imprisoned for two years and fined 20m Algerian dinars (about US$280,000) on 14 June for financial irregularities, although many see his arrest as part of a government campaign to silence dissenting voices.
