Since 22 February 2019, mass demonstrations have taken place every Friday across Algeria calling for political reform. This movement, called the Hirak, succeeded in ousting president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and continued calling for “a complete change of the political system.”
The Hirak movement has created hope for positive change in Algeria but it took the courage and bravery of independent journalists like Khaled Drareni to make the stories of Hirak known to the outside world. Khaled played a critical role in analyzing, documenting, and livestreaming weekly mass protests on his widely followed social media.
Khaled was arrested on the 7th March while covering a protest. He was later released, then again arrested on 27 March and has been locked up ever since. His arrest and imprisonment signal an escalation in the crackdown on freedoms in Algeria and are a major blow to Algerians’ hopes for reform. Khaled Drareni should not be in prison for covering a protest. It is crucial for the future of human rights in Algeria that he is set free. Continue
