Blogger Touati Merzek Sentenced To 5 Years In Jail For Sharing Intelligence With Israel

The representative of the public right to the Court of Appeal of Skikda Judicial Council (eastern Algeria), sought a five-year prison sentence against the blogger Merzek Touati who is accused of a felony of collaborating with agents of a foreign State that would damage the diplomatic status of Algeria and the crime of inciting the population to take up arms against State authorities, inciting the gathering and protesting in public squares, and encouraging the armed grouping.

The case’s merits date back to January,16, 2017, when the Anti-Cyber Crime Task Forces, in coordination with the Central Office for Combating Media and Communication Technology Crimes in Bejaia Security authorities (eastern Algiers), monitored a facebook account of the accused, with his real name, as he called upon the residents of Bejaia province for civil disobedience and gatherings on January,2, 2017 by publishing a video calling on the population to protest against the Finance Act of 2017, and publishing a video that includes a video-to-video dialogue between him and a former officer of the Israeli army, who is currently the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Arabic.

Merzak Touati was also accused of contacting people and organizations that are unrecognized in Algeria calling for secession from the Algerian state, including the MAK organization, through social networks.

During the trial session, which was attended by eight lawyers, the accused admitted that he has two facebook accounts, the first is called “Al Hogra” and the second is “Israeli citizenship”, through which he seeks to publish various national news, whether political, social or economic, and that he was communicating with a person from Ghardaia, who lives in Morocco, and who is a Jew of the Israeli nationality.

He explained that he exchanged news with him about the Kabyian region and Ghardaia, and also with the Jews and a Christian priest, who asked him to internationalize the case of the Christian cleric who insulted the Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him, and was sentenced to imprisonment by the Algerian justice, as he asked a Lebanese priest to intervene with the Algerian intelligence to defend him, and also demanded internationalization of allegations of “killing Jews in Ghardaia” and referring them to the Algerian regime.

For its part, the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the accused is followed by justice on serious charges including inciting the residents of Bejaia to the civil disobedience.

This was monitored by the Cyber Crime Task Forces in coordination with the Central Bureau for combating ICT related crimes in the state of Bejaia on January, 2, 2017 over civil disobedience, blocking roads and burning wheels.

After the investigation, it was found that he had two sites, the first with his personal name and the second with the name Al Hogra. Security services found contacts for conspiracy with the State of Israel and with foreign parties and people in Ghardaia, Algeria and Morocco, including an Israeli and a Christian cleric.

The accused also asked a former Mossad officer to help him to emigrate to Israel and asked him to internationalize the case of the Christian who insulted the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and confirmed that he committed the acts that were attributed to him, and that he was very intelligent.

He added that if he used his intelligence in matters in the benefit of his country, but he took a passive way.

The court sentenced him to 5 years of imprisonment, while his defence consisting of 8 lawyers, including Zoubida Assoul demanded announcement of non-guiltiness.

Previously, the criminal court of the Bejaia sentenced him to seven years in prison.