According to media reports, the clemency orders issued on Sunday included the Hirak activists released from pre-trial detention last week on a provisional basis

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

Prior to yesterday’s mass release, over 300 political prisoners were being detained by the Algerian government for supporting or participating in the anti-government Hirak protests or other opposition groups

There are still close to 300 political detainees being held in prisons in Algeria. The president has indicated that more releases will take place in the days to come

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

The human rights office urged the Algerian government to stop its ongoing systematic crackdown on anti-government protesters and activists of the Hirak movement

Karim Tabbou was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a complaint filed against him for allegedly misbehaving with a government official in public. He was subsequently charged on eight counts including slander

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

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