Algeria: Hirak activist Mohamed Amine Benalia partially released on appeal

Students demonstrate in Algiers against President Bouteflika's candidacy for the presidential election, in Algeria, on March 5, 2019. REUTERS / Zohra Bensemra

Text by: RFI Follow

On January 19, after having been arrested almost a month earlier (December 13) for publications shared on Facebook and considered disturbing, this student of the law school of Biskra had been condemned according to his lawyer to firm prison and a heavy fine for "insulting the President of the Republic, the police and damaging the national interest".

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On January 19, at first instance, Mohamed Amine Benalia was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a 100,000 dinar fine. But according to his lawyer, on appeal, the magistrate of Biskra ultimately retained only the two lightest charges: contempt of the president and the police. Discarded that of attacking the national interest. The young man will therefore have to pay a fine of 20,000 dinars.

Maitre Nizar who defended him said that he was generally satisfied: " The Court's decision was generally lenient. It is a relief for him, for his family, for his friends and for us, his defense, too. "

But if Mohammed has been released, human rights defenders are alerting at the same time to a series of new convictions in recent days. They also denounce arrests last Friday and the incarceration in El-Harrach prison in the suburbs of Algiers of a professor, Hamid Hamadache, as well as a Franco-Algerian engineer, Yasmine Si Hadj Mohand.

Kaci Tansaout, coordinator of the National Committee for the Liberation of Prisoners, deplores a judicial stagnation. There is no appeasement measure, if there were, there would be an official speech. We risk ending up in two years still with the same procedures if it continues like this. "

The National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees is in any case awaiting important verdicts, which could carry signals: normally on March 1, that concerning a figure of Hirak Fodil Boumala; and that of another figure in the movement, Karim Tabbou who is to be tried on March 4 ...

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