Algeria jails prominent journalist as UK-based diplomat threatens our staff

Journalist Khaled Drareni was placed under arrest by the Algiers court on Wednesday, March 2, on what many consider nonsense charges fabricated by the justice minister Belkacem Zeghmati’s department; taking advantage of the Covid-19 outbreak to settle scores with journalists, opposition figures and demonstrators.

“Journalist Khaled Drareni has just been officially arrested by the police who took him to the police station this evening where he will be presented tomorrow, Saturday, March 28, to execute the indictment of the Algiers Court”, announced the CNLD (National Committee for the Freeing of Detainees) in a statement posted on its Facebook wall.

The Reporters Without Borders and TV5 Monde correspondent will spend his first night in El Harrach prison. He will join the dozens of political prisoners who have been languishing there for many months.

Khaled Drareni was relentlessly covering the pro-democracy protests. It is deplorable that while most nations are mobilising their resources to fight the Covid-19 outbreak, the Algerian authorities appear to be focusing on violating international conventions and the country’s own laws.

The ambassador of Algeria in the U.K threatens the Algiers Herald

Journalists like Khaled Drareni aren’t the only victims of the judicial harassment conducted by an illegitimate government appointed by corrupt army generals and rejected by the majority of the Algerian population.

While investigating crimes committed by senior diplomats, the ambassador of Algeria to the U.K, Abderrahmane Benguerrah, reached out to one of our contributors’ parents to threaten to “complain to the army” about the activities of the Algiers Herald and its correspondents.

The Algiers Herald will not be intimidated by foot soldiers of the likes of Abderrahmane Benguerrah and will keep investigating the alleged crimes. The Algiers Herald also takes this opportunity to condemn these autocratic practices and calls for the Algerian authorities to immediately, and unconditionally, release Khaled Drareni.