Algeria: trial of a journalist and symbol of press freedom

The trial of Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni, who has become a symbol of the fight for press freedom in Algeria, and two members of the anti-regime protest movement is due to open on Monday, August 3, according to judicial sources. The first hearing will be held in the afternoon at the Sidi M'hamed court in Algiers.

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Arrested in March, Mr. Drareni, 40, is the director of the online news site Casbah Tribune and the correspondent of the French television channel Tv5Monde and the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Algeria. Incarcerated at the Kolea penitentiary center, near Algiers, he was placed in preventive detention on March 29.

Mr. Drareni is accused of " inciting an unarmed assembly and attacking the integrity of the national territory " after having covered in early March in Algiers a demonstration of " Hirak ", the popular uprising that shook Algeria during over a year until his suspension a few months ago due to the Covid-19 epidemic. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

Khaled Drareni is on trial alongside two figures from the “ Hirak ”, Samir Benlarbi and Slimane Hamitouche, who are on parole.

"Targeted harassment of independent media"

Accused of the same charges, the latter two were granted provisional release on July 2, which had perplexed the lawyers of Mr. Drareni, who was kept in prison. “ We are optimistic about the provisional release of Khaled. The lawyers will ask for his release from prison and the postponement of the trial until September, ”Benlarbi told AFP.

Several Algerian and international human rights and press freedom NGOs have urged the Algerian authorities in recent months to release Khaled Drareni and to put an end to " targeted harassment of independent media ".

RSF, which is leading an international campaign on his behalf, called on Monday for his immediate release and the dropping of all charges against him. " We must free Khaled Drareni, out of loyalty to the ideals of Algerian independence ," wrote Pierre Audin, son of anti-colonial activist Marcel Audin, and RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire, in a column published Thursday by the daily Le Monde.

Algerian justice has increased the number of legal proceedings and convictions of “ Hirak ” activists , political opponents, journalists and bloggers. Algeria is in 146th place (out of 180) in the 2020 world press freedom ranking established by RSF. It fell 27 places compared to 2015 (119th).