The Court of Algiers has just delivered its verdict in the appeal proceedings of journalist Adlène Mellah, director of websites DzairPress and Algérie-Direct. The court retained a suspended prison sentence. Adlene is finally free after a month of imprisonment which has led to a deterioration of her state of health.
The verdict has just fallen. The court handed down a six-month suspended prison sentence. After a re-examination of the file, the judge decided to reduce the sentence pronounced last December 25 by the court of Bab El Oued, following a Kafkaesque trial, where the defendant, without his defense, was sentenced one year in prison.
Adlene Mellah and her two companions, photographer Abdelaziz Adjal and Abdelhafid Negrouche left the court free. After a month of incarceration Adlène Mellah has seen her health deteriorate considerably. His fragility was visible from sight. He could not even stand up straight anymore. He even fainted during the trial.
A file built on approximations
The least that can be said is that the record that served to put Adlène Mellah last bars suffered from several irregularities. The minutes presented were not valid because the names of the policemen who signed them were not mentioned! Worse still, “The requisition used for the arrests dates from February 24, 2018, and was intended for the protest actions observed by the resident physicians. The centerpiece of the case was simply out of order!
In response, the Public Prosecutor referred to an “omission” concerning the names of the two police officers. As for the requisition, the latter will say that it “should be removed from the file because it is no longer valid”. The defense rebels.
Defense’s lawyers
Forty lawyers have formed to defend Adlènne Mellah whose case has become a national and even international cause. We must give back to Caesar what belongs to him and recognize that the defense lawyers have done honor to their profession. They defeated the charges against Adlene during the pleas.
The props were also there
The friends, the family, and all those who support Adlene Mellah were in front of the Algiers Court headquarters in the Ruisseau district. Among them, former footballer Fodil Dob and rapper Mister AB. There were also representatives of human rights leagues and activists.
