The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Algiers decided on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, to reduce the sentence of activist, poet, and prisoner of conscience Djamila Bentouis to 18 months of imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars. Additionally, she was ordered to pay 500,000 Algerian dinars in compensation to the public treasury. This decision followed her retrial on September 18, 2024, on charges of “spreading false information among the public that could harm public security or public order,” under Article 196 bis of the Penal Code, in an appeal against the initial ruling of the Dar El Beida Court in Algiers on Thursday, July 4, 2024. The initial ruling sentenced her to two years of imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 dinars after her trial on June 27, 2024.
It is worth noting that the activist Djamila Bentouis was imprisoned on March 3, 2024, due to a “song” she had written and performed. The song denounced the arrests and repression faced by Hirak activists at the hands of security forces for their demands for democracy and a civilian-led state.
On May 26, 2024, the Indictment Chamber of the Court of Algiers dropped the charge of “membership in a terrorist group operating within and outside the country” under Article 87 bis of the Penal Code against Djamila Bentouis. However, the charges related to “undermining national security and unity” (Article 79 of the Penal Code) and “spreading false information among the public that could harm public security or public order” (Article 196 bis of the Penal Code) were upheld.
On Monday, September 30, 2024, UN experts issued a press release regarding Djamila Bentouis’ case, urging the Algerian Court of Appeal to overturn the arbitrary ruling against her. This statement followed a letter of inquiry sent by the experts to the Algerian government last July concerning Bentouis’ case, which has yet to receive a response. The international attention on her case was initiated after the organization “SHOAA” submitted it to the UN experts through the UN mechanisms.
The experts stated that “the criminal charges against Ms. Bentouis are directly related to her exercise of her right to freedom of expression, including artistic expression,” and called for her release, urging the Court of Appeal to “overturn the ruling against her and acquit her of all charges that are in violation of international law.”
