On July 15, 2024, the Es Séniaa Court in Oran issued its verdict against lawyer and member of the collective for the Defense of Hirak Detainees, Omar Boussag, fining him 50,000 Algerian dinars. This follows his trial on July 8, 2024, during which the public prosecutor requested a three-month prison sentence. Boussag was charged with insulting a regulatory authority and inciting a gathering.
It is noteworthy that he was notified of an absentee ruling issued against him on February 26, 2024, sentencing him to six months in prison and a fine of 50,000 dinars. The case dates back to May 7, 2021, when he was summoned by Oran security forces due to his Facebook posts, in which he discussed a complaint he filed on March 15, 2021, with the Oran Court against the Oran Police. This action followed violent repression and physical assaults he suffered at the hands of the police. In his complaint, Boussag highlighted the severe violations committed by the security forces, despite the peaceful nature of the protest in Oran. He strongly condemned the human rights violations and physical assaults on protesters, noting that his intervention aimed solely to protect citizens’ rights and ensure adherence to the law.
On December 22, 2021, eight months after Boussak filed his complaint, the Cyber Crimes Department of the Judicial Police in Oran opened an investigation against him. The investigation focused on a post on Boussag’s Facebook page dated May 7, 2021, which explored the possibility that the extension of the social movement from civil protection to security forces such as the police and gendarmerie could lead to the end of the regime. Earlier that month, hundreds of civil protection members gathered to demand better working conditions before their movement was suppressed.
