Human rights organization Riposte Internationale has condemned an Algerian appeal ruling against opposition figure Fethi Ghares, describing the case as part of a wider assault on political freedoms and freedom of expression.
Riposte Internationale said on July 22 that the Court of Algiers had confirmed a two-year prison sentence against Ghares, the national coordinator of the Movement for Democracy and Socialism. The organization framed the ruling as a political case rather than an ordinary criminal matter, warning that it adds to the pressure faced by opposition voices, journalists and civil-society actors in Algeria.
Ghares has long been one of Algeria’s better-known left-wing opposition figures. Earlier reporting described prosecutions against him over statements critical of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and public institutions, with charges including insulting public bodies and spreading information deemed harmful to public order or security. Rights advocates have repeatedly argued that such charges are used to narrow the space for lawful political expression.
The case is relevant beyond party politics because Algeria’s broader rights environment affects many democratic and identity movements in the country, including Kabyle and Amazigh civil-society actors who have also faced restrictions, prosecutions and surveillance. For Amazigh observers, the health of political freedoms in Algeria remains inseparable from the ability of communities to organize, publish, teach, protest and defend cultural rights.
Riposte Internationale’s latest response also comes amid renewed attention to detainees of opinion across the Maghreb. The organization says it works on political prisoners, freedom of expression and civil liberties in Algeria and the wider region. Its statement adds another documented criticism of Algeria’s use of courts against opposition figures.
Editors should verify the current detention status and appeal options before publication, but the core development is the rights-group condemnation of the appeal ruling and its warning about Algeria’s shrinking space for political dissent.
Sources
- Riposte Internationale – July 22 statements and campaign updates
- Hespress – July 24 news listing referencing the Fethi Ghares condemnation
- Hespress English – Background on Fethi Ghares case