Canadian anti-crime researcher sentenced to two years in prison in Algeria
CTV
A Canadian researcher detained in Algeria since February was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison, according to his lawyer.
A Canadian researcher detained in Algeria since February was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison, according to his lawyer.
Kouceila Zerguine said Raouf Farrah has also been fined 200,000 Algerian dinars, around C$2,000.
"An appeal has been filed against this decision," Zerguine wrote in a text message Tuesday.
Zerguine said Farrah's father, Sebti Farrah, a Montreal-area resident, was given a one-year suspended sentence by the same court in the eastern Algerian city of Constantine.
Farrah, who studies migration and criminal economies for an international anti-crime non-governmental organization, had been charged with publishing secret information and being paid to commit offences against public order.
Farrah's employer, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, condemned the sentence, saying the charges were proven to be without merit during a one-day trial earlier this month.
"Although we were being realistic about the potential trial outcomes, today's result is particularly difficult to accept, given that the prosecution failed to present any legal case against Raouf and Sebti," Mark Shaw, the organization's director, said in a news release.
