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Algerian authorities have expelled Aymeric Vincenot, head of the AFP office in Algiers. By – (AFP)
The head of the Agence France-Presse bureau, Aymeric Vincenot, was expelled from Algeria on Tuesday as the authorities refused to renew his press accreditation for 2019.
Vincenot, 45, stationed in Algiers since June 2017, had to leave the country after the expiry of his residence permit and the expiry of the deadline for the police.
His expulsion came as political tensions in Algeria and weeks of unprecedented protests forced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to give up his hopes of running for a fifth term and then resign on April 2nd.
Launched for the first time on February 22 and fueled mainly by the country's nascent youth, the huge protest movement continues despite the resignation of the long-time leader.
In addition to demanding the departure of Bouteflika and his entourage, the demonstrators demand the dismantling of the entire Algerian political system that governs the country since its independence from France in 1962.
"This decision taken under the presidency of Bouteflika is unacceptable and it is out of the question for us, under these circumstances, to appoint a successor for the moment," said AFP President Fabrice Fries in a statement. .
"By depriving us of our head of office, this decision seriously affects our presence in Algeria, which is there to provide a comprehensive and rigorous coverage of current historical events."
Historical events
Fries pointed out that AFP "did not abandon" coverage of events in Algeria, noting that the agency had been allowed to send several special envoys to the country in recent weeks.
AFP will also continue to request additional visas for other journalists to cover the events, Fries said.
Vincenot's residence permit expired on February 28 and he had no more press accreditation since late 2018.
His request for renewal of his press card for 2019, essential condition for obtaining a residence permit, has received no response from the Algerian authorities, despite all the efforts made by AFP to obtain a explanation.
Vincenot had to leave on Tuesday when the deadline set by the police expired.
The Algerian authorities have never officially informed the agency of their decision nor the reasons for their deportation from Vincenot. They simply verbally exposed various grievances to a senior AFP executive officer during a visit to Algiers in March.
These include coverage by the AFP bureau chief of current events and the health of Bouteflika. But they failed to provide evidence of a wrongdoing and Vincenot did not have any right of reply.
AFP is one of the world's leading news agencies. It covers the world's news 24 hours a day in text, video, photo and graphics in six languages. It is present in 151 countries and has an office in Algeria since 1962.
– Solidarity –
In its latest report on freedom of the press, Reporters Without Borders ranked Algeria 136th out of 180 countries.
At the end of March, Reuters' special envoy, Tunisian journalist Tarek Amara, was expelled from Algeria where he had spent several days covering anti-government protests.
The Algerian authorities have not given any explanation on his deportation. Reuters told AFP that he had received proper accreditation as a special envoy.
Several weeks earlier, a dozen journalists were arrested and detained for several hours after taking part in a demonstration to denounce the pressures and restrictions imposed by their bosses to cover the demonstrations.
Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests and "the brutal intervention of the security forces".
In his statement, Fries expressed AFP's "solidarity" with "Algerian journalists, who work bravely in particularly difficult conditions."
A veteran journalist, Vincenot joined AFP in 2000 and has been sent on various missions by the agency, particularly in Africa.
He was deputy bureau chief for Central Africa, based in Libreville from 2004 to 2008, special envoy to Afghanistan in 2011, and had been badigned to Nairobi from 2012 to 2016, covering the countries of Africa from l & # 39; Is.
AFP has about 1,500 journalists serving media clients around the world.
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