On December 24, Ihsane El Ghadi, editor-in-chief of Radio M and Maghreb Emergent, was jailed in Algeria. Now he is facing five years in prison. Judgment comes on April 2, 2023.
In a tweet, Ihsaneh El Ghadi questioned whether the regime was able to “recover” the missing $20 billion after current President Abdelmadjid Debon said he plans to amend the constitution to be re-elected to a new term. We reported here that Ihsaneh El Ghadi was arrested by the country’s security forces in a corruption case.
The trial against Ihsaneh El Ghadi began on March 26. Algerian media reported that prosecutors had sought a five-year suspended sentence.
El Gadi is the founder of Radio M and Maghreb Emergent, the last free and independent media in Algeria. A few days before his arrest, Ihsane El Ghady published An analysis Regarding the political situation in Algeria, he described the role of the Algerian army in the presidential election You can read here.
Spy charges
At the SidiM’hamed court in Algiers, the prosecutor requested a five-year prison sentence, a five-year ban on practicing journalism, and a fine equivalent to approximately SEK 50,000. The publisher’s equipment and premises should also be confiscated.
Since his arrest in December 2022, Ihsaneh El Gadi has been in pre-trial detention at El Harach prison. According to Amnesty International, he has been charged with several crimes, including receiving funds “harmful to the security of the state” and “receiving foreign funding for propaganda.”
According to Ihsaneh El Ghadi’s lawyers, the overseas funds he is accused of taking were a £25,000 transfer from his daughter, who lives in England and is a partner in a publishing house owned by the media company.
As the founder and editor-in-chief of Radio M and Maghreb Emergent, Ihsane El Gadi is one of Algeria’s most influential journalists. The radio station and newspaper are primarily aimed at a young, urban audience. The newspaper and radio are known for criticizing the Algerian government and giving voice to young, progressive voices in the country, but government representatives are on the air.
Moments after the trial began, Ihsane El Gadi denounced the arbitrary arrest and the false accusations that he was a spy, as Algerian President Debon told a recent press conference.
– The day Debon makes me a spy will never happen!, said Ihsaneh El Ghadi, to a round of applause from the court. Local media reports.
Many international organizations including Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists And Amnesty International It has demanded the immediate release of Ihsaneh El Ghadi.
David Isaacson
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