Tahar Djehiche and cartoon
Algerian cartoonist Tahar Djehiche, who was acquitted in May on charges of insulting Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and inciting a riot, has been found guilty on the government’s appeal. He has been sentenced to six months in jail and fined 500,000 dinars. One of Djehiche’s offending cartoons, posted on Facebook, shows the president at the bottom of an hourglass getting buried in the sand.
Reporters Without Borders regional representative Yasmine Kacha responds: “This decision is incomprehensible. Algeria’s highest court must show leniency towards Djehiche, whose cartoons just emphasized the environment challenges linked to shale gas production.”
Britain’s Professional Cartoonists Organization has posted an open letter to the Algerian embassy in London petitioning for the immediate release of Tahar Djehiche.
To report a cartoonist in danger — Email Cartoonists Rights Network
