Algeria pardons and releases journalist who became a key voice during 2019 pro-democracy protests
Algeria has pardoned a journalist who emerged as a key voice during the country’s 2019 pro-democracy protests and was later imprisoned for taking foreign funding for his media outlets and threatening state security
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria has pardoned a journalist who emerged as a key voice during the country’s 2019 pro-democracy protests and was later imprisoned for taking foreign funding for his media outlets and threatening state security.
Ihsane El Kadi was released from prison Thursday evening, one of his lawyers, Fetta Seddat, told The Associated Press. He was among a larger group of figures pardoned and released on the 70th anniversary of the start of Algeria’s revolution, a national holiday that authorities have in the past used as an occasion to offer pardons.
El Kadi was the veteran editorial director of the media company responsible for the francophone station Radio M and news site Maghreb Emergent. Both reported heavily on Algeria's weekly pro-democracy “Hirak” protests, which began in 2019 and led to the resignation of octogenarian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Known as the “voice of the Hirak,” both became forums for pro-Hirak voices and debates on protesters' objectives.
Known as one of the rare independent voices in Algerian media, El Kadi was among the figures from the Algerian media to be targeted by authorities as the protests continued under Bouteflika's successor, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He covered everything from economics to the Algerian Civil War, which plagued the nation throughout the 1990s and cemented the military's grip on power in the gas-rich North African nation.
