An Algerian court sentenced a human rights activist to 15 years in prison over posts he shared on Facebook, considered to be insulting the President of the Republic and spreading information to disturb public order.
The Court ruled in two separate cases to imprison human rights activist Al-Arabi Al-Taher for 15 years, with a fine of 1.5 million Algerian dinars.
In the first case, Al-Taher was sentenced to 7 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars, on charges of insulting the President of the Republic.
The case dates back to May 4, 2023, when Al-Taher was arrested and his house was searched for sharing posts on Facebook in 2015, which he republished in 2023. In these posts, Al-Taher held the Algerian authorities responsible for allowing hunting without supervision in pastoral and steppe areas, thus posing a threat to animals and plants and disrupting the environmental balance.
In the second case, Al-Taher was sentenced to 8 years in prison and a fine of one million Algerian dinars, on charges of insulting the President of the Republic and insulting the judicial police on Facebook, where he commented on the last presidential elections, and the summons he received from the Cybercrime Unit.
The international community and human rights organisations should impose pressure to ensure justice and respect of Al-Taher’s human rights.
The rights of detainees and political and human rights activists should be respected, and the international community must work on releasing Al-Taher and all those detained over their political opinions or peaceful activities.
