New York, January 6, 2025—Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release freelance journalist and political activist Abdelwakil Blamm, who was arrested December 29, 2024, outside his home in the Chéraga suburb of Algiers, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.
“Abdelwakil Blamm’s detention is a troubling escalation of the ongoing crackdown on press freedom in Algeria,” said CPJ Interim MENA Program Coordinator Yeganeh Rezaian, in Washington, D.C. “Algerian authorities must immediately release Blamm, ensure his safety, and cease targeting journalists and activists for their work.”
On Sunday, the state prosecutor at the Chéraga court ordered Blamm’s detention pending trial, after accusing him of spreading false news, harming national unity, and belonging to a terrorist group.
Local journalists believe that Blamm’s arrest stems from his Facebook page, which has over 15 thousand followers, where he reports on local political and social issues. Blamm’s arrest is part of a new government wave of arrests against the opposition following the widespread social media campaign “#manich_radi,” which expresses discontent with the regime, according to a local journalist who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
Blamm is also a founder of the 2014 civilian-led Barakat movement that emerged in opposition of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s authoritarian regime.
In a separate incident, authorities in northeast Algeria arrested journalist Mustapha Bendjama on December 30, 2024, at a coffee shop in the city of Annaba. Bendjama was released without charge January 2 after authorities questioned him about his Facebook posts, placed him under judicial control, then banned him from leaving the country.
CPJ’s email to the Algerian Ministry of Interior requesting comment on Blamm’s and Bendjama’s arrests did not receive any response.