Ihsane El Kadi, journalist and director of the two web media Radio M and the information site Maghreb Emergent, was sentenced this Sunday to three years in prison, together with a fine of 700 thousand dinars.
Algerian press boss Ihsane El Kadi, prosecuted for “foreign financing of his business”, was sentenced on Sunday to five years in prison, including three years, announced the court of Sidi M’Hamed, in Algiers, which returned its verdict in the presence of the accused.
The prosecution had requested five years in prison, accompanied by a ban on practicing for the same period against the leader of one of the last independent press groups in Algeria, which includes Radio M and the site of Emerging Maghreb information.
Dissolution of Interface Médias
In addition, concerning the company Interface Médias, publisher of the two media, Radio M and Maghreb Emergent, the same court ordered the dissolution of the company, the preparation of the seized goods and a 10 million dinar fine.
For the civil party, the court claimed one million dinars in compensation from the Audiovisual Regulatory Authority (ARAV).
In addition, the court of Sidi M’hamed abandoned the deprivation of the journalist, Ihsane El Kadi of any public function in relation to the reasons for the legal proceedings, as well as the preparation of his property and the closing of the bank accounts in which the funds have been received.
Return on the arrest of Ihsane El Kadi and his placement under warrant of committal
Warrant of deposit on Thursday, December 29, 2022, for journalist and director of the two electronic media Radio M and Maghreb Emergent put under seal, Ihsane El Kadi who had presented to the public prosecutor without the presence of his lawyer, who had not been informed of the date of his presentation to justice. Journalist Ihsane El-Kadi therefore refused to appear without a lawyer.
After 05 days in police custody, the director of Radio M and Maghreb Emergent has just been remanded in custody, facing four charges related to the law on fundraising and receiving money from abroad without a license.
Indeed, the journalist had been arrested on the night of Friday December 23 to Saturday December 24, 2023, around half past midnight in his second home in Zemmouri in the wilaya of Boumerdès by 6 plainclothes police officers.
Shortly before this arrest, the latter had been invited by telephone around 10 p.m. to go to the Antar barracks of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI). However, the journalist informed them that he could not move because he was far from the wilaya of Algiers. Two hours later, six policemen in two vehicles showed up at his house and asked him to follow them.
