The Algerian prosecution has requested 18 months in prison against a journalist prosecuted for “defamation”, a sentence deemed “disproportionate” by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) who called for his “immediate release”.
Editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language news site Essafir broadcast, Abdelhakim Setouane, is being sued for “defamation”, “invasion of privacy”, “journalistic blackmail” and “publication of malicious information”, in this lawsuit brought by the ministry of Communication.
He is accused of publishing an article in which he revealed an extramarital affair of the president of the lower house of the Algerian Parliament, according to the NGO.
The Algerian court of Sidi M’hamed on Monday requested a sentence of 18
month in prison against the journalist, in detention since October 20.
RSF denounced in a statement “a disproportionate indictment” and called for his “immediate release”.
The verdict is expected on March 29, according to local media.
Several journalists have been sentenced in recent months by the Algerian courts, including Khaled Drareni, correspondent for TV5 Monde and RSF in Algeria.
“In a rather unstable political context, freedom of information in Algeria remains strongly threatened. Under judicial pressure, the Algerian press is struggling to fulfill its mission,” said RSF.
Algeria is in 146th place (out of 180) in the 2020 world press freedom ranking established by the NGO, falling 27 places compared to 2015.
