Ihsane El Kadi was released from prison Thursdayevening, one of his lawyers, Fetta Seddat, told reporters he was among a larger group of figures pardoned and released on the 70th anniversary of the start of Algeria’s revolution, a national holiday that authorities have in the past used as an occasion to offer pardons.
El Kadi was the veteran editorial director of the media company responsible for the francophone station Radio M and news site Maghreb Emergent. Both reported heavily on Algeria’s weekly pro-democracy “Hirak” protests, which began in 2019 and led to the resignation of octogenarian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
