[Image]Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has pardoned over 1,000 convicts and ordered "clemency measures" for 70 people detained over links to the country's Hirak protest movement, to coincide with Ramadhan.Tebboune signed "a presidential decree pardoning 1,076 convicted detainees" on the occasion of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan, the presidency said, cited by state media on Sunday.He also "ordered clemency measures for 70 people accused in matters of public disorder", the statement added.The 70 Hirak-linked detainees were provisionally released this week and are awaiting trial.Twice-weekly Hirak pro-democracy protests rocked major cities across the North African nation starting in early 2019, forcing longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down months later.Bouteflika FallRELATEDBouteflika's legacy will haunt Algerians for a long timePeople Just nowAlgerian ex-minister jailed 20 years for corruptionRest of Africa Just nowThe protests continued after his fall to demand deep reforms to the country's governing system, until the coronavirus pandemic forced their suspension in March 2020.The CNLD detainees' rights group said earlier this week that prominent Hirak figure Chems Eddine Laalami, known as Brahim, had been provisionally freed.Laalami was among the first to demonstrate against Bouteflika's 2019 announcement he would run for a fifth term in office.Also released was rights campaigner Zaki Hannache, detained in February for allegedly defending terrorist acts and spreading false news.Until the latest releases, the CNLD had said around 300 people were being held in Algeria in relation to the Hirak, journalism or activism. BY DAILY NATION
posted by Breaking Kenya news at 11:40 on 4 Apr 2022
"Algeria pardons over 1,000 convicts, releases 70 Hirak detainees"
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