The state of emergency restricts press freedom and deems undefined threats to the state or to public order punishable by law. A 1990 law requires speech to respect individual dignity, the imperatives of foreign policy, and the national defense. Reading committees used to censor the private press were abolished in 1998, but the state monopoly on paper, printing, and advertising leaves private media vulnerable to financial pressure. In May, a state printing press suspended the independent Demain d Algerie for alleged nonpayment of debts. In this precarious environment, self-censorship is rife.
Freedom of assembly is sharply limited.
Official permission is required for public meetings, with the exception of legal opposition party meetings. However, public assemblies that do not support the government are rarely permitted. Authorities banned an April demonstration against alleged voter fraud in the presidential election and fired tear gas at protesters commemorating the 1998 murder of a popular Berber singer. Emergency legislation restricts freedom of association. Nongovernmental organizations must have licenses, and the interior ministry may deny a license to or dissolve any group regarded as a threat to public order.