🇩🇿AlgeriaNorth Africa
Franco-Algerian influencer sentenced to one year in prison in Morocco for defamation
via Algérie3602 min read
A 30-year-old French influencer of Algerian origin was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 2,000 dirhams by the Marrakech Court of First Instance on Monday, June 22. The charges stemmed from videos she posted on social media during her stay in Marrakech on June 14. In these videos, the influencer criticized the driving behavior of some Moroccan citizens and alleged "selectivity of law enforcement in applying sanctions for traffic violations." The public prosecutor's office initiated a judicial investigation after the content was deemed "defamatory and offensive towards Moroccan citizens" and contained "explicit accusations of corruption and preferential treatment against public officials in the exercise of their duties during the application of the highway code." A national arrest warrant was issued, and she was apprehended by police at Marrakech-Menara Airport while attempting to board a flight to France. The court found her guilty of publishing digital content containing attacks on Moroccan citizens and accusations of corruption against officials. The verdict was delivered on Monday, June 22, 2026.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Algérie360.
Algeria's audiovisual regulatory body, ANIRA, has suspended the electronic channel Dzair News for three days, effective midnight, following serious accusations made against players of the national football team during the World Cup. The decision, announced on Tuesday and broadcast by national television, also requires Dzair News to remove the offending content from all its digital platforms and social media accounts. The suspension stems from a program that questioned the patriotism and loyalty of certain national team players, with some even accused of bribery. ANIRA's statement described the remarks as openly inciting against the players, contributing to defamation and cyber-harassment campaigns already targeting them online. The authority stated that these were not mere sports criticisms but directly impacted the dignity and honor of the individuals concerned. ANIRA emphasized that publicly accusing someone of corruption without proof violates the presumption of innocence and basic rights, and is punishable by law. The timing of the broadcast during the World Cup further aggravated the impact of the statements. ANIRA criticized the channel for disregarding the presumption of innocence and failing to consider the weight of its words during such a sensitive period. The regulatory body also used this incident to remind all channels and audiovisual content producers of the importance of adhering to legal and journalistic ethics, warning that similar transgressions would lead t
The economic and financial penal division of the Sidi M'hamed court has issued severe sentences in a corruption case involving a privatization process. Former Minister of Participations and Investment Promotion, Abdelhamid Temmar, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison and fined 8 million Algerian Dinars DA. An international arrest warrant against him remains active. Businessman "Y. M.", manager of the "Ikhlas" limited liability company, received a 5-year prison sentence, a 4 million DA fine, and confiscation of all his assets. The former CEO of Société de gestion des participations SGP, "S. R.", and the CEO of Tiaret Mills, "T. A.", were each sentenced to 3 years in prison and a 1 million DA fine. The "Ikhlas" company was also fined 32 million DA. Temmar was ordered to pay 1 billion DA to the public treasury, while co-defendants were jointly ordered to pay 1 million DA in damages. The scandal centers on a 2006 resolution that transferred assets of Tiaret Mills, a subsidiary of the public group ERIAD, to Ikhlas for a symbolic price of one dinar. Judicial investigations revealed significant irregularities, including a clear undervaluation of assets and the process being managed directly by the supervisory ministry, violating privatization regulations. A judicial assessment valued the three mills and administrative headquarters at 10 billion DA, or over 19 billion DA including other infrastructure, yet they were sold for less than 61 million DA.
Algeria remains among the countries most exposed to cyberattacks globally, according to Kaspersky's Cyber Week event in Algiers on June 22. In 2025, Kaspersky detected 78.5 million local incidents on Algerian user devices, affecting nearly one in two users, placing the country ninth worldwide for cyberattack targets. While this represents a slight decrease from 85.5 million incidents in 2024, when Algeria ranked 12th, the concentration of threats has increased. Additionally, 31.4 million web-based attack attempts were recorded in 2025, a 35% reduction from the previous year, yet 29% of Algerian internet users were still affected, ranking the country 23rd globally in this category. Offline sources like USB drives and pirated software are the primary vectors for cybercriminals. Password stealers, which collect passwords and banking access, saw an increase of 4% in 2025 with 287,834 detections. Georgy Kucherin, a senior researcher at Kaspersky, noted that while some attack categories are decreasing, Algeria faces a high level of exposure, with threats like identity theft continuing to rise. Toufik Sid Ahmed, Kaspersky's Sales Director in Algeria, emphasized that cybersecurity relies on both technology and user behavior, recommending strict control of removable media, stronger access management, and multi-factor authentication.