Learn More about Chakwi Amari

Chakwi is perhaps best known for his cartoon (on this site) in which a character refers to the Algerian flag as “dirty laundry” [linge sale]. The cartoon appeared on July 4, 1996 in La Tribune. Chakwi was arrested, detained and charged with “insulting the national emblem,” and the newspaper was shut down. Chakwi was released 20 days later, and La Tribune resumed operations six months later. However, the charges were not dismissed and Chakwi receieved numerous death threats despite the fact that he is widely recognized as the most popular editorial cartoonist in Algeria. In 1999, Chakwi fled with his family to Paris, and returned only after he promised the Algerian government never to draw editorial cartoons again. Since then, he has instead become an outspoken editorial writer.