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Rabat – Suspicions of potential censorship of Ferhat Mehenni, president of the Kabyle self-determination movement (MAK), by the Algerian government have started to float online following the last-minute cancellation of the activist’s interview with French TV channel CNews.
Scheduled to appear on the channel in a live interview on Sunday evening, video footage shared online shows Mehenni and French journalist Ivan Rioufol, being interrupted as they were getting ready to start filming.
With Rioufol seeming confused over the reason for the cancellation of the interview , Mehenni explains that he suspects “foul play” by Algeria’s government, accusing the Algerian regime of convincing the French Presidency to call off the interview.
Other media reports suggested that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune threatened his French counterpart to cancel the upcoming visit of French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne if the interview was carried out.
Some have also argued that CNews’ ownership corroborates the possibility of the order coming from the presidency, pointing to the French conglomerate Balloré, which has ties to the Elysée, having a stake in the channel’s parent company, Vivendi.
Mehenni’s interview was promoted in the channel earlier during the day, online clips of the channel’s feed show. He was scheduled to appear at 8pm local time.
As for the reason behind France’s compliance in case of censorship, some reports have pointed to the country looking at Algeria as an energy partner to move away from Russian gas.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Algiers in August to mend tensions between the two countries, amid an energy crisis in Europe due to the war in Ukraine. Following that visit, Macron said he would be visiting Morocco in late October.
The Algerian regime declared the MAK a terrorist group in 2021, following the arrest of activists accused of planning car bombs.
Until now, Algeria’s government presented no evidence proving MAK’s involvement in the attributed charges.
