![(FILE) - A general view of Algiers, Algeria, Sep. 18, 2019. EFE/EPA/STRINGER ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET[ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET]](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/rss-efec7c493debfc8a0903597b168face7ed288b824abw.webp?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1)
Algiers (EFE).- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune granted a presidential pardon on Friday to 6,797 prisoners to mark the 63rd anniversary of the country’s independence from France, the presidency announced in an official statement.
“After consulting the High Council of the Judiciary, the president signed two decrees: the first covers a pardon for 6,500 detainees, and concerns inmates who earned education or vocational diplomas this year,” the statement read.
The measure is part of a broader tradition of presidential clemency tied to national celebrations.
However certain crimes were explicitly excluded from the pardon, including “aggression and conspiracy against state authority, crimes affecting territorial unity, treason, espionage, the spread of fake news that may disturb public order, and hate speech or discrimination-related offenses,” the presidency noted.
Critics question exclusion of opinion prisoners
The decision has sparked criticism among human rights advocates, particularly regarding the exclusion of prisoners of conscience.
“What about opinion prisoners?” asked activist and lawyer Nabila Smail in a Facebook post, highlighting that many individuals jailed for political expression or activism were not included in the pardon.
A source affiliated with several NGOs told EFE that Algeria has around 248 political and opinion detainees.
That figure, last updated in May, has not been officially confirmed by the government.
Despite repeated calls from civil society and international organizations for the release of political detainees, many remain incarcerated under broad legal charges related to state security or public order.
Previous pardons included political figures
This is not the first mass pardon under Tebboune’s administration.
On Nov. 1, 2023, marking the 70th anniversary of the Algerian War of Liberation, the president ordered the release of over 4,000 prisoners, including some political detainees, such as veteran journalist Ihsane El-Kadi.
Later, during end-of-year celebrations, another 2,471 individuals were pardoned, further demonstrating the government’s use of national occasions to implement large-scale clemency.
Still, human rights groups argue that selective pardons fall short of meaningful reform.
Many activists insist that true reconciliation and democratic progress in Algeria require addressing the root causes of political repression and enduring freedom of expression. EFE
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