Author: Leonor Rebassa
Last saved by: Riley Towers
Company: Amnesty International

Further information on UA: 280/16 Index: MDE 28/5570/2017 Algeria	Date: 10 February 2017

URGENT ACTION
ALGERIAN JOURNALIST HASSAN BOURAS RELEASED
Algerian journalist Hassan Bouras was released on 17 January after his sentence was reduced to a six-month suspended prison term on appeal.
On 17 January, the El Baydah Appeals Court reduced Algerian journalist Hassan Bouras’ sentence to a six-month suspended prison term.
On 28 November 2016, the Court of First Instance in the city of El Bayadh, western Algeria, convicted journalist Hassan Bouras for a video interview he conducted of local residents stating that high-ranking judicial and security officials in the town took bribes and imprisoned innocent people on trumped up charges. The court convicted the journalist of complicity in offending a judicial officer, law enforcement officers, and a public body, under Articles 144 and 146 of the Penal Code. He was also convicted of unlawfully practising a profession regulated by law (Article 243) by recording the video interview, which was broadcast on Al Magharibia, a private satellite television channel with a substantial audience in the country.
Hassan Bouras had been sentenced to one year in prison and fines, and had appealed the conviction. He was detained for approximately six weeks in El Bayadh prison.
Amnesty International will continue to monitor the case closely for any developments.
Thank you to all those who sent appeals. No further action is requested from the UA network.

This is the first update of UA 280/16. Further information: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE28/5299/2016/en/ 

Name: Hassan Bouras
Gender m/f: m

Further information on UA: 280/16 Index: MDE 28/5570/2017 Issue Date: 10 February 2017