Retired General Ali Ghediri, a former candidate in Algeria’s canceled 2019 presidential election, was released from prison on Thursday evening, June 12, 2025, after serving a six-year sentence for “participation in an enterprise aimed at undermining the morale of the army.”
His lawyer, Nabila Slimi, announced the news on her Facebook page, stating: “This video is dedicated to you, great man, our dear Ali Ghediri. Finally free, after so much injustice, he has regained his freedom.”
Ghediri, detained since June 2019, was initially sentenced to four years in prison, a penalty that was increased on appeal in 2023.
An independent figure with no political affiliation, Ghediri gained prominence in 2018 for his outspoken criticism of Algeria’s political system, which he knew well from his long service in the military, and of the potential fifth term of then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The 70-year-old former military officer retired in 2015 from the Ministry of Defense, where he led the human resources department for ten years. He also holds a doctorate in political science.
It remains unclear whether the six years behind bars have fully clarified the nature of the regime he lives under or if he still harbors any illusions about it. It is likely he will think twice before speaking out publicly again.
