On Sunday, January 19, 2025, the Bainem Bab El Oued Court in Algiers issued its ruling against Fethi Ghares, the national coordinator of the Democratic and Social Movement (MDS), which has been suspended by court order. The court sentenced him to one year in prison, imposed a fine of 200,000 Algerian dinars, along with an additional 100,000 dinars in compensation to the public treasury, and a symbolic one-dinar compensation to Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the President of the Republic.
The same court also issued a ruling against Messaouda Cheballah , an activist and member of the national office of the suspended Democratic and Social Movement (MDS), sentencing her to six months suspended imprisonment, along with a fine of 100,000 dinars and an additional 100,000 dinars in compensation to the public treasury.
The court further ordered the confiscation of the seized items related to the case.
It is worth recalling that political activist Fethi Ghares was arrested on August 27, 2024, from his family home and taken to the central police station in Algiers. His wife, Messaouda Cheballah , was also summoned, interrogated, and had her phone confiscated.
On Thursday, August 29, 2024, the investigating judge of the Bainem Bab El Oued Court in Algiers placed both Fethi Ghares and his wife, Messaouda Cheballah , under judicial supervision pending further investigation. They were required to report every 15 days and were prohibited from publishing on social media platforms or expressing their opinions through media outlets.
Fethi Ghares was charged with insulting the President of the Republic, disseminating malicious information that could harm public order, and inciting hatred and discrimination. His wife, Messaouda Cheballah , was accused of complicity in all three charges brought against her husband.
