El Watan (Arabic: الوطن; ie home country) is a French-language daily newspaper in Algeria, founded in 1990.
The daily newspaper aims to promote democracy and provides information about the Algerian opposition.
During the Algerian Civil War (1991-2002) El Watan was not released several times. The editions of April 24 and May 7, 1996 were not released because it was denied by the state printer. In October 1998, the printing company stopped spending for one month, under the guilt of outstanding debts. The newspaper had shortly released articles that were critical of a former adviser to President Liamine Zéroual and the Minister of Justice. The article had accused them of corruption and abuse of power. However, the suspension of the presses came after an oral agreement was reached on the overdue payment.
The newspaper director Omar Belhouchet, on May 17, 1993, ended an attack, which later proved to be the first of a series of attacks committed on Algerian journalists. At this time, journalists and their family members received home and work at home daily threatening, making their work almost impossible. When the attack on Belhouchet was committed, he just brought his children by car to school. Between 1993 and 1996, 60 journalists were killed; around 200 journalists fled the country.
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