On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the criminal court at the Khenchela Judicial Council delivered its verdict against activist Hicham Okba, sentencing him to a one-year suspended prison term along with a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinars. This decision follows the appeal of the initial ruling by the Khenchela Court on August 18, 2024, which had imposed a harsher penalty of 18 months in prison and a fine of 20,000 dinars. Okba was charged with “insulting the President of the Republic, obstructing the smooth conduct of elections, inciting an unarmed gathering, and insulting a regulatory authority represented by law enforcement officers.”
Okba’s arrest took place on the morning of Thursday, August 8, 2024, after he protested the use of state resources, specifically the municipal vehicle of the Mayor of Taouzianat, in support of candidate Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s campaign.
He remained in police custody until his appearance before the public prosecutor at the Khenchela Court on Sunday, August 11, 2024, where an order for his detention was issued.
