Algeria: Drareni’s Appeal Postponed Until March

A demonstrator carries a national flag during a protest to mark the second anniversary of a mass protest movement demanding political change, in Algiers, Algeria February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
A demonstrator carries a national flag during a protest to mark the second anniversary of a mass protest movement demanding political change, in Algiers, Algeria February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
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Algeria: Drareni’s Appeal Postponed Until March

A demonstrator carries a national flag during a protest to mark the second anniversary of a mass protest movement demanding political change, in Algiers, Algeria February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
A demonstrator carries a national flag during a protest to mark the second anniversary of a mass protest movement demanding political change, in Algiers, Algeria February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina

Algeria's supreme court Thursday postponed until late March the appeal of prominent journalist Khaled Drareni, jailed after covering anti-government protests a year ago, local media reported.

The court "postponed until March 25 the decision to re-examine the case of journalist Khaled Drareni for a new ruling", reported the Casbah Tribune, an online news site that Drareni founded.

The correspondent for French-language TV5 Monde and press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was provisionally released after almost a year in prison last Friday.

He was released along with dozens of pro-democracy activists under presidential pardons issued ahead of the second anniversary of the "Hirak" uprising which swept former strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power in 2019.

Arrested in March last year on charges of "inciting an unarmed gathering" and "endangering national unity" after covering Hirak demonstrations, the 40-year-old was sentenced on appeal in September to two years in jail.

"We will continue to campaign for all the charges against Khaled to be dropped," said rights group Amnesty International on Twitter after the postponement was announced.

He told AFP in an interview this week that he is determined to return to work as a journalist and to defend a free press.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.