Algerian journalist Badreddine Guermat is serving a one-year prison sentence on anti-state charges over social media posts critical of the government, following his arrest in September 2024.
On September 25, Algerian authorities arrested Guermat, editor-in-chief of local independent news website Djelfa Tribune, from his home in Djelfa, south of Algiers, after a judge charged him with insulting a state institution and its employees, and ordered his detention pending trial.
On October 6, the Djelfa court convicted him of these charges, and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine of 100,000 dinars ($752).
Guermat’s arrest is linked to commentary he published on his personal Facebook page criticizing the Djelfa authorities’ alleged inefficiency in managing development funds.
Guermat’s arrest comes amid a larger government crackdown on the opposition, before and after the September 7 presidential elections, in which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was reelected in a landslide victory.
The journalist is currently held at the Djelfa Correctional Facility, and CPJ was not able to determine the status of his health in custody.
In later 2024, CPJ emailed the Algerian Ministry of Interior requesting comment about Guermat’s case, but did not receive any reply.