Mohamed Tadjadit, born in 1994, is a poet and activist known for his powerful slam poetry performed during Algeria’s Hirak protest movement, which began in 2019 and led to the resignation of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Through his art, Tadjadit gave voice to the aspirations of a new generation demanding freedom and democracy. 

He has been repeatedly targeted by Algerian authorities for his poetry and activism, facing at least eight arrests and five convictions since 2019. In October 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Tajdadit's arrest and imprisonment between April 2021 and August 2022, alongside that of other four people, were arbitrary and a direct result of his peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of opinion and expression.  

On 29 January 2024, Tadjadit was arrested at his home in Algiers and detained on vague counterterrorism charges, including “apology and encouragement of terrorist acts,” “using communication technologies to support terrorist organisations,” “incitement to an unarmed gathering,” and “exposing to the public eye publications likely to harm the national interest,” based solely on his online posts and private communications. 

He was held in pre-trial detention for nine months before being provisionally released under a presidential pardon in October 2024. However, on 16 January 2025, he was arrested again for his online writings and criticism of the government and sentenced to five years in prison and a 200,000 dinar fine just four days later. His conviction was based on several bogus charges, including “compromising national unity,” “insulting a constituted body,” and “exposing to the public publications likely to harm the national interest.”

On 22 May 2025, the Criminal Division of the Algiers Court upheld the sentence in principle but commuted it to one year in prison.

On 11 November 2025, Tadjadit was sentenced to five years in prison, on top of the one-year term he was already serving, on baseless terrorism-related charges, including “encouraging terrorist and sabotaging acts,” “using media and communications technology to support terrorist acts,” and “incitement to unarmed gathering.” He also continues to face bogus charges, including “conspiracy against the state,” in another case for his online posts, where he could face the death penalty.

His case represents a disturbing escalation of Algeria’s campaign to silence dissenting voices and stifle artistic freedom.

PEN International calls on the Algerian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mohamed Tadjadit, drop all charges against him, and end its crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.