Abdelkader Kherba

On 11 September 2012, human rights defender Mr Abdelkader Kherba was acquitted of the charges against him and released by the Ksar Bukhari Court. He had been in detention since 21 August.

Abdelkader Kherba, a member of the Comité National pour la Défense des Droits des Chômeurs – CNDDC (National Committee for the Defence of the Rights of the Unemployed) and the Ligue Algérienne pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme – LADDH (Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights), had been charged with insulting a security official from the Ksar Bukhari district; however, he was in Algiers for the duration of the day on which the alleged offence was committed. The prosecution had requested that the human rights be sentenced to one year in prison and fined 20,000 Algerian Dinars (approximately EUR 195).

Previously, on 3 May 2012, Abdelkader Kherba was sentenced to a suspended one year prison sentence and a fine of 20,000 Algerian Dinars for alleged "incitement of protest".

Front Line Defenders welcomes the acquittal of Abdelkader Kherba and reiterates its call on the authorities to ensure that he is able to carry out his legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including judicial harassment

For further information on this case, please see the Front Line Defenders urgent appeal, dated 23 August 2012: Arrest of human rights defender Mr Abdelkader Kherba and fears of execution of suspended sentence, and subsequent update, dated 29 August 2012: Bail application of human rights defender Abdelkader Kherba rejected.