An Algiers court on Thursday sentenced a former presidential candidate and retired general to four years in prison for undermining army morale, the official APS news agency reported. Ali Ghediri had said he would stand in Algeria’s April 2019 election against longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The ailing autocrat’s decision to seek a fifth mandate led to mass protests against his rule and he later stepped down under army pressure. Ghediri, detained since June 2019, appeared in court on Thursday accused of “participating during peacetime in undertakings aimed at weakening army morale”, APS said. Bouteflika died last week, aged 84, while Bensalah died Wednesday, aged 79.

Source: Punch September 23, 2021 16:41 UTC