Algeria: A court requests three years in prison for blogger

An Algiers prosecutor has requested a three-year prison sentence against a young Algerian blogger who called for a boycott of the May 10 legislative polls, a defence lawyer said Thursday.

• The prosecutor requested a three-year prison term against blogger Tarek Mameri during a court hearing that took place on Wednesday in Algiers.
• Tarek Mameri, 23, was detained on May 2 for posting videos on his blog calling for a boycott of last month’s parliamentary election — and on charges of destroying property and “setting administrative documents on fire.”
• “Yes, I destroyed electoral placards and burned my voter’s card… I opted to do that rather than immolate myself,” the young blogger told the state prosecutor last month.
• The final verdict in the case is expected on June 27.
• An Algerian court last month sentenced a Yemeni Salafist imam to six months in jail, a $1,300 fine and a 10-year ban on visiting Algeria for having issued a religious edict urging voters to boycott the election.