Dear colleagues, dear friends, dear readers and dear fellow citizens.
It is with great emotion that I address you today. I have spent almost 30 years of my life by your side through this journal, and despite the difficult times we have been through, I can say that I have lived this period with great joy.
My decision to shut down the newspaper Liberté triggered a wave of emotion and protest. I understand the sentiment of so many who refuse to consent to the obliteration of a devoted support for freedom of expression, a stronghold of the democratic struggle and a witness who has accompanied, day after day, a long episode in recent history from our country.
To the citizens and friends of the newspaper who have expressed their desire to continue its publication and to those who have not understood the reasons, I confirm that its economic situation allows it only a brief and futile respite. This daily newspaper was offered for sale, but like many other press media, it fell victim to the global shift in reader behavior towards the electronic press. The problem arises from both the general recessionary state of the print media and the commercial environment, which deprives the newspaper of the contribution of major advertisements and the accelerated decline in readership. The newspaper has been sold at a loss for some time. And the prospect is not encouraging. The decision is also to be placed in a broader evolutionary context in the organization of the activities I have initiated and led to date.
For more than a year, after my age-related retirement from active life, I have been putting the Cevital Group in the perspective of a new beginning, which I will announce shortly.
The humble achievements that I am the initiator and promoter of have taken a lifetime of effort and sacrifice. At the time of my final retirement, I wanted to ensure that my successors, freed from the particular constraints of running a press company, could devote themselves exclusively to the development of the group’s industrial activities.
Incidentally, this is the legitimate wish of my successors. As the exciting collective adventure surrounding Liberté comes to an end, I would like to pay tribute to the gesture of many intellectuals, women and politicians, literary figures and cultural figures who have called for its preservation. This daily newspaper has been a great adventure, enriching and fruitful for all those who have contributed to its development. He knew how to fight for the defense of all freedoms. The variety of topics covered in the daily’s flagship sections made it possible to disseminate important information widely and reach a wide audience.
I especially want to express my gratitude to the generations of Liberty readers whose constant presence has given her her raison d’être and, in the most difficult moments, the best reason to resist and persevere.
I would also like to pay tribute to the generations of employees who have successively shared the demanding task of daily producing the newspaper and made it the enduring work that it is.
I bow to the memory of those of you who, under the murderous bullets of terrorism, paid with your life for the cause of progress and democracy it has always defended. I have sad thoughts for others among them who endured the undeserved ordeal of prison. Finally, I would like to thank the various partners, advertisers, printers and retailers involved in the production.
Issad REBRAB