Algeria has revoked France 24’s accreditation, the communications ministry said on Sunday, a day after the former French colony’s legislative elections.
The action was prompted by the satellite news channel’s “clear and repeated hostility towards our country and its institutions,” according to Ammar Belhimer, a ministry and government spokesperson, as quoted by the APS news agency.
According to the news agency, officials issued a last warning to the channel on March 13 for its “coverage of Friday marches” of the long-running Hirak anti-government protest movement.
France 24 did not immediately respond to Sunday’s announcement, but its director Marc Saikali defended the outlet in March, saying it was “just doing its work as journalists while adhering to the rules in place.”
The French government, which has tense relations with Algiers, did not respond immediately to the cancellation of France 24’s accreditation.
The loss of France 24’s accreditation comes a day after the North African nation conducted parliamentary elections, in which over 70% of citizens did not vote, according to official statistics.
