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Amnesty International called on Algerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release activist and poet Mohamed Tadjadit, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for his peaceful expression of dissent. The appeal comes ahead of Tadjadit’s scheduled appeal hearing on April 17, amid growing international condemnation of his conviction.
“The imprisonment of Mohamed Tadjadit is a stark reminder of Algeria’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent,” Amnesty said. “It’s time to end the criminalization of free expression.”
The current charges relate to Tadjadit’s participation in the #ManichRadhi (I am not satisfied) campaign, which mobilized social media users to express discontent with the government. Authorities accused him of spreading “subversive content” and undermining public institutions, allegations Amnesty International describes as a misuse of counterterrorism and defamation laws to suppress dissent.
Tadjadit was sentenced by the Rouiba Court in Algiers on January 20, 2025, in a fast-tracked trial just four days after his arrest. He was convicted under Algeria’s Penal Code for “undermining national unity,” “inciting an unarmed gathering,” “offending public bodies,” and “publishing content harmful to national interest,” all based on social media posts and poetry critical of Algeria’s political and socioeconomic situation. Amnesty and other human rights groups argue these charges lack legal clarity and violate international norms on freedom of expression.
Known as the “Poet of the Hirak,” Tadjadit gained prominence during Algeria’s 2019 Hirak movement. His poetry in Darija (Algerian Arabic) became a symbol of peaceful resistance and a voice for youth-led demands for reform. Since then, however, he has faced continuous judicial harassment, having been imprisoned at least five times between 2019 and 2024 for similar charges.
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and PEN America have also condemned his sentencing, calling it “a violation of fundamental human rights.” “Poetry is not a crime,” said PEN America’s Karin Karlekar. “No government should silence creative voices or restrict the exchange of ideas.”
Tadjadit was previously held in pre-trial detention under terrorism charges in 2024, based on private Messenger conversations from 2021. These communications occurred before the government designated the Rachad movement as a terrorist organization, further raising concerns about retroactive prosecution.
The European Parliament issued a resolution in January calling for his release, adding to international pressure. Amnesty has urged President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to overturn the sentence, drop all charges, and end the persecution of activists and artists.
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“The imprisonment of Mohamed Tadjadit is a stark reminder of Algeria’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent,” Amnesty said. “It’s time to end the criminalization of free expression.”
The current charges relate to Tadjadit’s participation in the #ManichRadhi (I am not satisfied) campaign, which mobilized social media users to express discontent with the government. Authorities accused him of spreading “subversive content” and undermining public institutions, allegations Amnesty International describes as a misuse of counterterrorism and defamation laws to suppress dissent.
Tadjadit was sentenced by the Rouiba Court in Algiers on January 20, 2025, in a fast-tracked trial just four days after his arrest. He was convicted under Algeria’s Penal Code for “undermining national unity,” “inciting an unarmed gathering,” “offending public bodies,” and “publishing content harmful to national interest,” all based on social media posts and poetry critical of Algeria’s political and socioeconomic situation. Amnesty and other human rights groups argue these charges lack legal clarity and violate international norms on freedom of expression.
Known as the “Poet of the Hirak,” Tadjadit gained prominence during Algeria’s 2019 Hirak movement. His poetry in Darija (Algerian Arabic) became a symbol of peaceful resistance and a voice for youth-led demands for reform. Since then, however, he has faced continuous judicial harassment, having been imprisoned at least five times between 2019 and 2024 for similar charges.
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and PEN America have also condemned his sentencing, calling it “a violation of fundamental human rights.” “Poetry is not a crime,” said PEN America’s Karin Karlekar. “No government should silence creative voices or restrict the exchange of ideas.”
Tadjadit was previously held in pre-trial detention under terrorism charges in 2024, based on private Messenger conversations from 2021. These communications occurred before the government designated the Rachad movement as a terrorist organization, further raising concerns about retroactive prosecution.
The European Parliament issued a resolution in January calling for his release, adding to international pressure. Amnesty has urged President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to overturn the sentence, drop all charges, and end the persecution of activists and artists.
The post Rights group urges Algeria to overturn prison sentence against prominent activist and poet appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.