Algeria: journalist Ihsane El Kadi obtains presidential pardon

Algeria pardoned a journalist who established himself as one of the country’s main voices during pro-democracy protests in 2019. He was then imprisoned for benefiting from foreign funding for his media and for threatening the security of the country. ‘State.

Ihsane El Kadi was released from prison Thursday evening, along with eight others who had been imprisoned after criticizing the state. Their release coincided with the 70th anniversary of the start of the Algerian revolutiona date that the authorities have already used in the past to grant pardons.

Soldered Sliceone of the lawyers ofEl Kaditold the Associated Press that the latter had been released from El Harrah prison after benefiting from a presidential pardon. He was serving a sentence for receiving foreign financing pour Radio M et Maghreb Emergenttwo media projects that played a key role during the Hirak protests that led to the resignation of the octogenarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019.

He is one of 4,000 people released Thursday under clemency decrees signed by the president Abdelmadjid Tebbouneaccording to a press release from his office. Among those released are individuals imprisoned for minor offenses and for “breach of public order”a charge that Algerian authorities have used in the past to target dissidents.