Algerian authorities on Saturday announced the withdrawal of its accreditation from Saudi Arabian television channel Al-Arabiya, accusing it of “disinformation and manipulation.”
“It was decided to withdraw the accreditation of the 24-hour news channel, Al-Arabiya, for non-compliance with the rules of professional ethics and its use of disinformation and manipulation,” the statement by the Communication Ministry said.
The statement did not include any further details about the decision in question.
For its part, Al-Arabiya has not commented on the matter thus far.
On 13 June, Algeria revoked the license of the French television channel France 24 on the grounds that it was openly hostile to Algeria in its editorial work and disinformation and manipulation in the media.
The Algerian Ministry of Communication had attributed the reasons for the withdrawal of the accreditation of the French channel to “its bias in the coverage of rallies conducted by the Hirak movement and the use of archive photos to amplify the number of protestors.”
Algeria faces criticism from international organizations, including Reporters Without Borders, regarding the restriction of media freedoms, while authorities say that freedom is guaranteed to all media, provided they respect objectivity and professional ethics.
