Saïd Bessaha,74- Year-old Man,Condemned to 10 Years Sentence

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The Criminal Court of Appeal in Chéa has sentenced Saïd Bessaha, a 74-year-old political activist from Bouzeguene, to 10 years in prison over a Facebook post. 

Bessaha has long been associated with the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), a secular opposition party. During Algeria's "Black Decade" of the 1990s, he became known for publicly opposing Islamist terrorism and religious extremism while advocating democratic values, human rights, and individual freedoms.

Bessaha's case is part of a wider pattern of repression targeting Kabyle citizens, including activists, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, and ordinary social media users. Peaceful political expression and online criticism have increasingly been met with arrests and prosecutions, fueling concerns over shrinking civic space and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

KHR Organization is appalled by this severe and arbitrary sentence that Mr. Said Bessaha is subjected to. It demands  immediate and unconditional drop of  all charges he is convicted of and  his release from prison.