Algeria's former anti-terrorism chief sentenced to 5 years in jail

Earlier today, the influential Algérien newspaper Le Matin Algérien  published an opinion piece under the heading Un tribunal militaire décidément très averti concerning the condemnation of Algeria's former counter-terrorism chief, Abdelkader Ait-Ourabi better known as General-Major Hassan, who was sentenced to five years in jail on November 27, 2015 for destroying documents and disobeying military orders.

Le  Matin Algérien is very critical of General Hassan's conviction by the Oran military tribunal. The paper qualifies the entire affair as a blatant injustice, the result of political machinations by the ruling oligarchy.

Retired in September 2013, General-Major Hassan was arrested late in the evening of September 4, 2015. He was accused of insubordination, creation of an armed force, unauthorized retention of privileged information, and unauthorized possession of weapons. While awaiting trial, he was confined to the military prison in Blida and was denied access to counsel for over a month.