Algeria: Algerian blogger in threat of imprisonment

The Algerian government must dropt the defamation charge against the Algerian blogger “Abd el Salam Baroudy”, administrator of “Bilad Telmesan blog – http://bilad-13.maktoobblog.com“, for criticizing an Algerian responsible official in an article published in February 2007. The date of his prosecution before Telmesan First Degree Court is on Monday, June 11, 2007, The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said.

On February 2007, Baroudy has published an article criticizing the Chair of Religious Affairs and Endowment in Telmesan province, for giving an order to ban the cooperation between Telmesan mosques’ imams and local broadcast, probably the order of banning is because the local broadcast refused to deal with him. The Chair of religious Affairs and Endowment has charged the blogger Baroudy for defamation, in which it leads to a sentence of six months in prison and a fine of 1500 Algerian Dinars.

” In a country such as Algeria, suffers from the widespread of violence, then freedom of opinion and expression is the most important value to defend it, though the new government in Algeria must assume to its responsibility to respect the right to political criticism”, Gamal Eid, the Executive Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said.

“I am within an opinion case, in the article published, I have expressed my opinion about a responsible, recognizes himself in a standard, above suspicious or appeal and his high rank denies being written about or criticized”, Baroudy said in his blog, responding to the case.

“The new government in Algeria must be completely aware of Baroudy’s words, if it is needy for gaining credibility and a good reputation in respecting freedom of expression”, The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information added.

In addition, Algerian bloggers succeed to gain attention to their activity, when the journalist “Ali Rahaliya” in his blog, had succeed in forcing the Algerian president to freeze a law for “privatizing a company” in February 2007.