(Algiers) A young activist and emblematic figure of the Algerian Hirak protest movement, Chems Eddine Laalami, was sentenced Sunday to two years in prison by a court in Bordj Bou Arreridj, in northeastern Algeria, according to the report. National Committee for the Release of Prisoners (CNLD).
Chems Eddine Laalami, said Brahim, was arrested at the end of June by the Algerian coast guard while he was trying to cross the Mediterranean illegally to reach Spain.
He had been placed under a warrant of committal on July 4.
Brahim Laalami was prosecuted in two cases, for “hate speech, contempt of body, dissemination of false information” and “incitement to unarmed assembly,” said the CNLD, a support association.
The prosecution had requested three years in prison.
Brahim Laalami, a 30-year-old tailor, demonstrated in early February 2019 in Bordj Bou Arreridj to denounce the candidacy for a fifth presidential term of the former strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
A peaceful popular uprising broke out soon after in major Algerian cities, forcing Bouteflika to resign two months later.
Since then, Mr. Laalami has been arrested several times, prosecuted, and sentenced in several trials.
The activist was sentenced to three months in prison after his attempt to emigrate illegally.
“After having returned to the hope aroused by the Hirak, the young people sink into disillusion and despair to the point of attempting the” Harga “at the risk of their lives”, then explained Saïd Salhi, vice-president of the League. Algerian Defense of Human Rights (LADDH).
The word “Harga” refers to the practice of illegal youths who often burn their papers when they arrive at their destination, in order to avoid being repatriated.
Determined to break the Hirak, the Algerian authorities have banned their demonstrations and are stepping up legal proceedings against opponents, activists, journalists, and academics.
More than 300 people are currently behind bars for facts related to Hirak, according to the CNLD.
