Moroccan Journalists Condemn Algerian Attempt to Discredit Their Complaints

Rabat – Morocco’s media delegation to the Arab Summit has condemned statements issued by the Algerian Ministry of Communication regarding their inability to enter Algerian territory to cover the regional event.

Prior to the summit, which started on Tuesday in the presence of some Arab leaders, a Moroccan media delegation consisting of journalists from the Moroccan television channel Al Aoula were forced to leave the Algerian territory. They did so after facing “pressure, harassment, security investigations, and long waiting hours at Boumediene Airport,” according to an earlier statement from the Moroccan Association of Media and Publishers.

The Moroccan association on Wednesday published a follow-up communique addressing questions raised by the Algerian ministry of communication, claiming that the Moroccan delegation did not submit an application for a press pass in time.

These claims were rejected by the Moroccan association, which stated that “Moroccan journalists submitted requests a full month before the date of the summit and did not receive any response.”

The Moroccan journalists further argued that often organizing bodies would “show flexibility” in case the journalists do not have press passes to cover the event.

The association’s communique also highlighted that this was not the first time Moroccan journalists have faced difficulties covering events hosted within their eastern neighbor’s borders. The association alleged that national media delegations have repeatedly faced “provocation” and “abuse” inflicted by the Algerian authorities on Algerian soil during events hosted by Algiers.

The Moroccan Association of Media and Publishers also stressed the Moroccan media is facing “serious hostility,” which violates the freedom of the press, expression, and publication as well as the right to obtain information.

The statement added that this series of “harassment” and “abuse” experienced by Moroccan media comes in the context of Algeria’s “unilateral aggression of Moroccan-Algerian relations.”

In August 2021, Algeria unilaterally cut diplomatic relations with Rabat. Since then, the rising tensions between the two countries have impacted Rabat and Algiers’ relations with Spain and neighboring countries such as Tunisia, leading to the absence of King Mohammed VI from the Arab Summit.