Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - An Algerian court has sentenced opposition politician Fethi Ghares to two years in prison over a Facebook post deemed insulting to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, his lawyer told AFP on Tuesday, October 21.
Ghares, a well-known secular leftist and critic of the
government, was found guilty “for remarks concerning the president,” according
to his lawyer, Abdelghani Badi.
Badi confirmed that Ghares was not immediately detained
following the verdict and that the defence team plans to appeal the decision.
“He was not present at the hearing,” the lawyer added.
Another member of his legal team, lawyer Fetta Sadat,
revealed on Facebook that Ghares was also fined 300,000 dinars (about $2,300).
Prosecutors had reportedly sought a three-year sentence along with the same
fine.
Sadat said Ghares was charged with “insulting a state
institution” and “spreading false or malicious information likely to harm
public order or security.”
The 50-year-old opposition figure has faced similar charges
in the past. In May 2024, he was convicted in another case and handed a
one-year prison sentence, though he was not jailed pending appeal to the
Supreme Court.
Ghares was previously arrested in 2021 and sentenced for
“insulting the president”, accusations that, like the current case, were
based on posts made on Facebook.
A member of Algeria’s secular leftist opposition, Ghares
joined the pro-democracy Hirak movement in 2019, which played a key role in
ousting longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. His party, the Democratic and
Social Movement, the successor to the Algerian Communist Party, was
officially banned by authorities in February 2023.
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