On Thursday, 16 July 2026, the Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced activist and prisoner of conscience Afif Bouattou to three years in prison, with one year suspended. The court also imposed a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars and ordered him to pay 100,000 Algerian dinars in compensation to the public treasury.
Afif Bouattou was arrested on the evening of 4 February 2026 and questioned over approximately 30 Facebook posts. On the evening of 5 February 2026, the judicial authorities ordered his pre-trial detention at Ain Tedles Prison in Mostaganem Province, where he remained until his trial and sentencing.
Since the beginning of Algeria’s Hirak protest movement, Afif Bouattou has been subjected to multiple arrests, judicial proceedings, and repeated harassment for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and for his civic activism.
