Algiers — The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, reaffirmed that the freedom of expression is guaranteed in Algeria, on the condition that the laws of the Republic, the components of the national identity and the society's traditions are respected.
During his periodic media meeting with representatives of the national press, broadcast this Saturday evening on national television and radio channels, the President of the Republic said that "freedom of expression is guaranteed in our country provided the ideas expressed genuinely belong to those voicing them and are not ideas imposed by outside parties seeking to sow confusion, cause harm and drive divisions among the components of society."
In this regard, the President of the Republic recalled that during his constitutional oath he swore before the Algerian people that he would be "an opponent of anyone who dares to undermine national unity or any component of national identity protected by the Constitution and the laws of the Republic."
President Tebboune affirmed that Algerian justice rarely intervenes in matters of free expression, but warned that "anyone who violates the principles enshrined in the Constitution, Algerian law and societal traditions will face consequences, because justice is independent and among its functions is to prevent defamation and abuse."
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Recalling that the country's laws "prohibit reopening files that reopen the wounds of the past," the President of the Republic reiterated that "the chaos that prevailed before 2019 will not return," adding that the "mouthpieces of the fifth column, that believed they were shielded by foreign backers, had ultimately come to realize their mistake and that no outside party could protect them."
The President of the Republic questioned "how Western countries that claim there is a crackdown in Algeria and claim to be models of democracy punish with imprisonment all those who sympathize with the Palestinian cause on social media."
