Algerian scholar gets three years in jail for ‘offending Islam’

Said Djabelkhir, who was released on bail, says he will appeal and continue to fight for ‘freedom of conscience’.

A renowned Algerian scholar on Islam, Said Djabelkhir, was handed a three-year prison sentence on Thursday for “offending Islam” in three Facebook posts, but pledged to appeal and keep fighting for “freedom” of thought. Djabelkhir, 53, who has called for “reflection” on Islam’s founding texts, was put on trial after seven lawyers and a fellow academic made complaints against him. Speaking to the AFP news agency after the verdict, Djabelkhir, who was released on bail, said he was surprised by the severity of the sentence and that he would appeal to the Court of Cassation if necessary.