New York, December 1, 2025—Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release veteran columnist Saad Bouakba, who was arrested on November 27 on charges of defaming the late President Ahmed Ben Bella,  and drop all charges related to his journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

Bouakba was placed in detention in the capital Algiers after Mahdia Ben Bella, daughter of Algeria’s first president, filed a complaint about Bouakba’s interview on the local YouTube-based channel Vision TV News. In that interview, Bouakba discussed the former president’s alleged unlawful distribution of funds belonging to the National Liberation Front (FLN), which led the fight for independence from France during  Algeria’s 1954 to 1962 war.

“Jailing 79-year-old journalist Saad Bouakba over remarks on Algeria’s independence-era history is an alarming escalation in the country’s crackdown on critical voices,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Algerian authorities must free Bouakba and stop using vague laws on false news and offenses to ‘national symbols’ to silence the press.”

A prosecutor at Algiers’ Bir Mourad Raïs Court charged Bouakba with insulting and defaming symbols of the revolution and intentionally publishing false information online, and set a hearing date of December 4.

Bouakba, who previously worked for local independent news outlets El-Khabar and Echorouk, was detained for two days in February 2023 for inciting hate and distributing publications harmful to the national interest. He was also fined and placed under a travel ban in October 2023 for defamation and hate speech over a satirical opinion piece.

CPJ’s email to the Ministry of the Interior to request comment did not receive a response.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.