UN rights experts urged the Court of Algiers on April 28 to stop the trial of Mohamed Tadjadit, noting that the “reclassified” charges the prominent activist now faces are punishable by death. A poet and human rights defender, Tadjadit is associated with the Hirak movement, which first arose in 2019 in opposition to then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and has since evolved into a wider call for political change and greater freedoms.
Tadjadit was accused of spreading “subversive content” and undermining public institutions, and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment upon his conviction in January 2025. The charges concern Tadjadit’s participation in the #ManichRadhi (I am not satisfied) campaign, which mobilized social media users to express discontent with the government. Between 2019 and 2024, he had been imprisoned multiple times for participating in peaceful protests, and for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
The UN experts stated that the new charges now being brought appear to be based on the same conduct underlying the earlier offenses, raising concerns that the “reclassification” contravenes the prohibition on double jeopardy. The experts emphasized that the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in Opinion No. 45/2022 adopted in October 2022, had already found that Tadjadit’s right to a fair trial had been violated, and that he and his co-defendants had been punished for exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression, contrary to international law. They further stated that the Court of Algiers must halt the trial now scheduled to open, and drop all new charges that could expose Tadjadit to the death penalty.
Amnesty International also criticized the decision of the Algiers Court of Appeals this January to uphold Tadjadit’s conviction on separate charges of “glorifying terrorism,” “offending public bodies,” and “inciting an unarmed gathering,” arguing that these charges stem solely from his expression of opinion through social media posts and poetry. Amnesty International called for his immediate and unconditional release, and for all charges against him to be dropped on the grounds that they arise solely from the exercise of his fundamental rights.
From JURIST, April 30. Used with permission. Internal links added.
Photo: Amnesty International
