The French channel M6 vigorously contested Tuesday the accusations of the Algerian government, concerning a report on the protest movement which shakes the country, and asked the authorities to renounce banning it from operating in Algeria.
The Algerian Ministry of Communication announced Monday evening that it had decided to
"no longer authorize"
the French channel to operate in Algeria, accusing it of having in this report broadcast on Sunday - entitled
"Algeria, the country of all revolts ”
- carried
“ a biased look on the Hirak ”
and to have had it carried out by a team provided with a
“ false authorization to shoot ”
.
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In a press release published on Tuesday, M6 assured that this report, broadcast in the magazine “Enquête exclusive”, was indeed produced by a team that had a filming authorization issued initially in May 2018 and extended several times until 2019 The film crew was also
"checked on several occasions by the Algerian authorities"
, who let them work in view of this authorization.
On the other hand, other requests for authorization presented by Enquête exclusive in March 2020, in order to be able to film sequences on set from Oran, were refused by the Algerian authorities and they
"did not give rise to any filming in Algeria"
, ensures the chain.
"M6 renews its confidence in the producer
(of the report)
Patrick Spica as well as in the journalists who carried out this investigation in the respect of the ethical principles attached to their profession"
, added the channel, adding that
"the evolutions of the Algerian society constitute a subject of general interest which deserves to be treated within the framework of the legitimate right to information of the public ”
.
In the same vein, M6
"asks the Algerian authorities to reconsider their boycott position in order to pursue its information mission objectively and without any controversy"
.
Read also: Journey to the heart of Algerian corruption
This report, filmed at times with
"discreet cameras"
- exposes testimonies of three young Algerians on the future of their country, in the grip of an unprecedented uprising since February 2019. The health crisis led to the suspension of the "Hirak" marches. »In mid-March.
The broadcast last May by the public channel France 5 of another documentary on Algerian youth and the “Hirak” -
Algeria my Love
by French journalist and director of Algerian origin Mustapha Kessous - triggered a diplomatic crisis between Algiers and Paris .
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