Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni was handed Tuesday a two year- prison sentence on appeal as crackdown on dissent intensifies after months of anti-government demonstrations in Algeria. Drareni, 40, is the director of the Casbah Tribune, the correspondent of the French TV5 Monde channel and Reporters without Borders in Algeria. Drareni was initially sentenced to three years in prison but his sentence was reduced by a year on appeal. They said they were alarmed that the Algerian authorities were increasingly using national security laws to prosecute people who were exercising their rights. Authorities should release Drareni immediately, drop all charges against him, and allow him and all journalists to work freely.”

Source: The North Africa Journal September 16, 2020 12:56 UTC