Algerian court sentences journalist to two years for Hirak protest coverage
Drareni was convicted of “inciting an unarmed gathering” and “endangering national unity” linked to coverage of the protest movement
Khaled Drareni’s two ’accomplices’, activists Samir Benlarbi and Slimane Hamitouche, were tried for the same offences but were sentenced to four months in jail and released for time served
CAPE TOWN, September 16 (ANA) – An Algerian court has sentenced journalist Khaled Drareni to two years in prison on appeal, for his coverage of the 2019 Hirak protest movement, which saw Algerians take to the streets in protest against the government.
The protests, which swept across the North African country in 2019, sparked public outrage when former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika indicated that he would run for a fifth term, after being in office for two decades.
According to a report by news broadcaster Al Jazeera, Drareni was convicted of “inciting an unarmed gathering” and “endangering national unity” linked to coverage of the protest movement.
His sentence was not suspended, meaning he must stay in prison to serve it.
According to the BBC, Khaled Drareni was originally sentenced to three years in jail – he’s been detained since March.
He runs a news website and is also a correspondent for French TV5 Monde.
Drareni was tried along with Samir Benlarbi and Slimane Hamitouche, two prominent activists in the Hirak protest movement. Benlarbi and Hamitouche faced the same charges but were sentenced to four months in prison and released on time served, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Amna Guellali, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said that the sentence for prominent journalist Khaled Drareni is a mockery of justice in a country supposedly undergoing political change and transformation following mass protests.
The rights groups further said in a statement that the Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Khaled Drareni and others who are being detained for daring to document police violence and arbitrary arrests during protests, citing that it is crucial for the future of human rights in Algeria that they are set free.
African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Naomi Mackay
