He had recalled on Facebook that certain Muslim practices, such as the sacrifice of sheep, dated back to the pre-Islamic era. Saïd Djabelkhir receives three years of hard prison time under article 144-2 bis of the Algerian penal code, which punishes offenses against religion.

Coming from a private citizen and not from the prosecutor's office, the complaint should have been rejected on procedural grounds, according to one of the defense lawyers. Master Wahab Hamidi is concerned about this conviction targeting a renowned Islam specialist: "He is someone very well known, he is invited on the media, including public media. He is sought out by foreign media, either from the Middle East or from the West. Because there is an entire debate between reformers and Salafists. But you don't go to court because the person has expressed a contrary opinion."

The lawyers are very surprised by the severity of the sentence. They denounce an infringement on freedom of expression that reveals the current hardening by Algerian authorities. According to the lawyer, this judicial decision is taking place in a particular context, namely the crackdown by authorities on the Hirak movement. "This instrumentalization of justice, we know it well, there is no one who will tell us that justice in Algeria is independent. So this hardening is part of this regime's resistance to not yield to any desire for change," says Master Wahab Hamidi.

The academic will file an appeal within the week and says he is ready to take it to the Court of Cassation if necessary.