The Court of First Instance of Constantine convicted activist Taher Boutache in two separate criminal cases arising from Facebook posts, as part of the continuing targeting of him for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of opinion and expression.
On 21 May 2026, the Court sentenced Mr. Boutache to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinars, following his trial on 7 May 2026. He was convicted of the misdemeanor of “promoting ideas likely to incite hatred within society”, pursuant to Article 34 of Law No. 20-05 on the Prevention and Combating of Discrimination and Hate Speech, and of the offense of “insulting the President of the Republic”, pursuant to Article 144 bis of the Penal Code. The Public Prosecutor had requested the same sentence of two years’ imprisonment.
On 28 June 2026, the Court issued a second judgment sentencing him to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinars, following his trial on 31 May 2026. He was convicted of “undermining the authority of judicial decisions”, pursuant to Article 147 bis of the Penal Code, despite the Public Prosecutor having requested a sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.
Taher Boutache is a former prisoner of conscience who has previously been subjected to arrest, prosecution, and numerous criminal convictions because of his peaceful activism and criticism of the authorities. These repeated prosecutions form part of a broader pattern of using criminal law provisions to criminalize the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and target critical voices, raising serious concerns regarding Algeria’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, particularly Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
