The independent journalist was arrested in March 2020 and charged with various serious offenses while he was covering the anti-establishment Hirak protests in Algeria

A number of journalists critical of the government have been arrested and sentenced to prison terms. Algeria’s rank in the World Press Freedom rankings published annually by Reporters Without Borders has also slipped to 146 out of 180 countries, down 27 places since 2015

The elections saw only 30.2% of voters taking part, with almost 18 million of a total of 24.5 million choosing to not vote, in line with the boycott call by the Hirak movement and some leftist parties

The Hirak protests continued on Friday despite a recent ban on unauthorized protests. Those on the streets were met with massive police deployment and large-scale detentions

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  

On World Press Freedom Day, we look at the situation of journalists and of the press in different countries in the Arab-Maghreb region

In this episode of Around the World in 8 minutes, we look at the National Day of Remembrance in Argentina which marks the anniversary of the US-backed coup in 1976. We also look at the latest in the legal proceedings against Algerian journalist Khalid Drareni and the persecution of anti-racism activists in the United States

Drareni was arrested last year in March and was detained without charge or trial while he was covering the Hirak protests in the country. He was charged with “inciting an unarmed gathering” and “endangering national unity”

Yacine Mebarki is the latest in a long line of Hirak protesters and supporters, and journalists to face the wrath of the Algerian establishment. He has been charged with inciting atheism and undermining national unity

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 

The term of Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni, who was earlier sentenced to three years in prison, has been reduced by a year. Activists and journalists condemned the ruling, demanding his freedom

An Algiers court handed journalist Khaled Drareni a three-year prison sentence. The verdict has been widely condemned by human rights groups and Hirak movement protesters