Algeria suspends Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel

Algeria’s Ministry of Communication has suspended the operating license of Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel, accusing it of biased reporting on the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, according to Al Monitor, citing Algeria's state news agency. While no detailed explanation was provided, Al Monitor says Iranian state media suggested that Al Arabiya was suspsended because its coverage was judged to have weakened the morale of Palestinian and Lebanese people. The suspension follows a similar move by Iraq, which revoked the license of the Saudi-owned MBC group just a day earlier.

This is not the first time Algeria has clashed with Al Arabiya. In 2021, the country revoked the network’s accreditation, accusing it of failing to adhere to journalistic ethics and engaging in misinformation. Algeria has a history of targeting foreign media outlets as well as local journalists. In 2021 it suspended the accreditation of France 24, accusing of supporting the anti-government protests known as the Hirak movement. Last June, two Algerian journalists were arrested after their outlet, Algeria Scoop, published a video that of two women protesting their treatment at a government event.