Algeria: Blogger charged with criminal defamation

The Algerian government has laid a defamation charge against blogger "Abd el Salam Baroudy", administrator of the "Bilad Telmesan" blog, for criticizing an official in an article published in February 2007. Baroudy is scheduled to face the Telmesan First Degree Court on 11 June 2007. In his article, Baroudy criticized the chair of Religious Affairs and Endowment in Telmesan province for banning cooperation between imams (religious leaders) from mosques and local broadcasters.