El Watan logo |
|
Type | Daily newspaper |
---|---|
Format | Tabloid |
Owner | SPA El Watan Presse |
Editor | Omar Belhouchet |
Founded | 1991 |
Political alignment | Centre-Right |
Language | French |
Headquarters | Maison de La presse Tahar Djaout, 1er Mai, Algiers, Algeria |
Circulation | 200,000 (May 2006 - May 2007) |
Official website | El Watan |
El Watan (Arabic:الوطن, English: the homeland) is an independent newspaper in Algeria. The paper was founded in 1990 after Omar Belhouchet and nineteen colleagues left the FLN government-owned newspaper El Moudjahid (English: "The Holy Warrior").[1]
It aims to promote democracy and to give coverage to the Algerian opposition, and has acted as an outspoken voice against censorship and corruption. It has been suspended several times by the Algerian government, and journalists and editors jailed for various offenses. Its reporters have, according to the international press watchdogs Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) been targeted by both government forces and Islamist insurgents.[2][3]