Freelance journalist Abdelali Mezghiche has been held in pretrial detention in Algeria since his February 5, 2026 arrest, on charges of “posting on social media content that could harm the national interest” and “spreading hate speech and racism.”
On February 5, state security officers arrested Mezghiche in the capital Algiers over posts on his Facebook page, which has more than 130,000 followers, reporting on public anger over the imprisonment of local figures in the southern city of Djanet. An Algiers court later ordered his pretrial detention pending investigation into the charges.
Mezghiche is a journalist with Algeria’s state television, an active social media commentator, and a freelance journalist who has most recently contributed to local news website ZDZ. A local journalist who is following the case told CPJ, on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal, that Mezghiche’s detention appears to be linked to his reporting and social media posts. The posts in question are no longer accessible online.
Mezghiche had been unreachable for several days prior to his appearance before the investigating judge, raising concerns about due process, according to the local journalist.
CPJ’s emails to the Algerian Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Interior requesting comment on Mezghiche’s detention did not receive any responses.