Akli Mouhoubi
Mouhoubi is a poet and literary writer who was engaged in freelance reporting at a local newspaper. He was suddenly arrested at his workplace and taken into custody on… More
Ghilas Ainouche
In July 2017, Aïnouche, a cartoonist and contributor to publications including Charlie Hebdo and Tout Sur L'Algérie, was harassed by police. In November, he was laid off from Tout… More
Ihsane El Kadi
El Kadi is the director of the independent media outlets Radio M and Maghreb Emergent. In May 2022, El Kadi was put on trial for "dissemination of false information… More
Lazhari Labter
Labter, a journalist and publisher whose writing gained popularity during the Hirak protests, was arrested in his home on November 20, 2022. On November 28, he was released from… More
Arrest of Researcher in Algeria Amid a Crackdown on Civil Society Puts Free Expression in a “Perilous State,” Says PEN America
Algerian authorities arrested Farrah, who works as a senior analyst at the Geneva-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, and his father Sebti Farrah on February 14 at his… More
PEN America Calls on Algeria to Release Journalist Mustapha Bendjema from Detention
“By arresting journalists and shuttering human rights organizations and independent media outlets, the Algerian government is signaling that it is doubling down on repression instead of allowing the Algerian… More
PEN America Calls on Algerian Authorities to Explain Arrest of Writer Lazhari Labter or Release Him
“The arrest of Lazhari Labter signals a growing threat against all writers in Algeria,” said Veronica Tien, Writers at Risk manager in the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at… More
Abdennour Abdesselam
An ethnic minority rights advocate, Abdesselam was arrested on September 13, 2021 on charges of “belonging to a terrorist organization,” and was accused of being connected to the Movement… More
Said Djabelkhir
Scholar Djabelkhir was—without notice—charged with “offending the precepts of Islam” after writing 3 Facebook posts of “academic reflections” on the Quran and Islamic traditions in 2020. In April 2021,… More
Anouar Rahmani
Since 2017, Rahmani has been threatened with legal action for content in his books, including a gay relationship and a depiction of God. In November 2020, he was found… More
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