Several commentators and social media users in Algeria have noted that the release coincides with the visit of a high-ranking US official and likely took placedue to politically motivated reasons

The recently concluded legislative elections on June 12 saw no party win a majority in the parliament 

A sustained and systematic campaign by the Algerian government has targeted journalists and news portals critical of its policies. Several journalists have been arbitrarily detained or face judicial persecution  

Today we look at Ecuador’s presidential election results, protests following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in the US, reports of Israel’s role in the blackout at an Iranian nuclear site, hunger strike by detained Hirak protesters in Algeria, and the ties between Israeli businessman Dan Gertler and the DRC

According to Algerian prisoners’ rights group, the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees, security forces arrested approximately 26 people in Algiers and 59 others across the country during the protests for unspecified reasons

The president also announced a government reshuffle within the next 48 hours and the issuance of presidential pardons to dozens of imprisoned Hirak protesters

Algerians gathered in the town of Kherrata where the first spark of the Hirak protests was lit in 2019. The protests led to the overthrow of then president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and have continued demanding the removal of the military and political elite of his time

The three Hirak activists – Mohamed Tadjadit (25), Noureddine Khimoud (25) and Abdelhak Ben Rahmani (38) – began a hunger strike on December 27 last year after they were denied bail and their pre-trial detention was extended by the authorities

Said Bouteflika, Mohamed Mediene and Bachir Tartag were acquitted by the military appeals court on Saturday after a retrial cleared them of conspiracy charges

Tabbou, the leader of the the Democratic Social Union party, is a prominent face of the Hirak protests that began last year. Following the deposition of long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the protesters have continued to demand structural change

Zeghileche’s reduced one-year sentence includes a six-month jail term. Since he has already been in pre-trial detention since June 23, he is expected to be released in December

34-year-old Djir was accused of ‘blackmail’ and using a ‘false identity’ and sentenced to three years in prison in a common law case. He is now expected to be released soon after over a year in detention