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Algerian authorities arrest journalist Mourad At-Mimou over social media posts

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Algerian authorities arrest journalist Mourad At-Mimou over social media posts

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New York, July 9, 2026 – Algerian authorities must immediately release freelance journalist and blogger Mourad At-Mimou and stop targeting journalists for their online commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Plainclothes police officers detained At-Mimou on July 7, while he was at a café in Tizi-Ouzou, in northern Algeria’s Kabylie region, according to a local journalist following the case who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

The officers placed At-Mimou in a car without license plates and took him to the Azazga police station, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Tizi-Ouzou, where he was held for questioning. Authorities also seized At-Mimou’s phones and transferred them to Algeria’s Central Service for Combating Cybercrime, the journalist told CPJ.

At-Mimou is being investigated over social media posts allegedly critical of Algeria’s July 2 parliamentary elections, which saw record-low turnout, according to the same local journalist and a news report by local independent news outlet La radio des sans voix.

“Algerian authorities must immediately release freelance journalist and blogger Mourad At-Mimou and end their practice of detaining journalists over their reporting and online expression,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Algerian authorities must allow the press to work freely without fear of arrest or retaliation.”

At-Mimou previously worked at the privately owned broadcaster Dzaïr TV, where he hosted the Kabylie-language program “Tizi n wassa-a” before the channel was shut down in 2019. Since then, he has continued publishing political commentary on his Facebook page, which has more than 75,000 followers.

At least seven journalists are currently behind bars in Algeria in connection with their work, according to CPJ data.

In July 2026, CPJ emailed Algeria’s Ministry of Interior seeking comment on At-Mimou’s arrest but received no response.

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