Together, let’s free Algerian journalist Hassan Bouras!

Objective achieved

Hassan Bouras is an Algerian journalist who has been defending the freedom to inform for nearly 20 years. For his trouble, he has been mistreated and detained arbitrarily, and his family has been harassed. But his determination has never flagged.

Bouras is likely to spend his 50th birthday on 1 January in the Algerian prison where he has been held since 28 November on various criminal charges including contempt of court, insult and defamation. He is facing the possiblity of several years in prison on these baseless charges.


He just did his job, which is to inform.


Last September, Bouras interviewed three people who agreed to speak openly about cases of alleged police and judicial corruption and embezzlement in El Bayedh, a city 500 km southwest of Algiers. The interviews were posted on YouTube and can be seen here.


Instead of conducting an investigation into these unacceptable practices, the Algerian authorities jailed Bouras and his interviewees after an extremely flawed trial.


In its latest report, entitled “Algeria, the invisible hand of power over the media,” RSF sounds the alarm about the progressive asphyxiation of the Algerian media since President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s reelection for a fourth term in 2014.


Join RSF in demanding Hassan Bouras’ release by signing this petition.


And use this hashtag to follow developments in his case: #freehassan


Every signature counts!


Published on
Updated on 22.12.2016