Algiers – Journalist Saïd Bouakba has been placed in provisional detention following a complaint filed by the daughter of the late President Ahmed Ben Bella, according to sources at the Bir Mourad Raïs court in Algiers. The detention order was issued today, Thursday.
The public prosecutor’s office stated that the investigation was launched after Ms. Ben Bella lodged a complaint accusing Bouakba of harming her father’s reputation, considering him a historical symbol of the Algerian state. The complaint stems from an interview Bouakba conducted with Vision TV News, a YouTube channel. The interview, titled “How the Leaders of the Revolution Divided the FLN’s Funds: Shocking the Public with Historical Information Revealed for the First Time,” is at the center of the controversy.
Authorities allege that the interview contained false, inaccurate, and biased information that defamed national symbols and figures of the Algerian Revolution. Specifically, the prosecution claims that Bouakba asserted that the revolution’s leaders illegally divided funds belonging to the National Liberation Front (FLN) and deposited them into personal accounts. These claims are considered damaging to the legacy and integrity of the nation’s historical figures.
The case was presented to the public prosecutor on November 27, 2025, including the Ministry of Mujahideen, represented by its legal representative, who joined the case as a civil party. Bouakba faces charges of insulting and defaming symbols of the Algerian Revolution through the use of information and communication technologies, as well as disseminating false news likely to incite public unrest.
Furthermore, Haraoui Abdelrahim, the manager of the Vision TV News YouTube channel, has been charged with complicity in the offense of insulting and defaming symbols of the Algerian Revolution through information and communication technologies. The legal proceedings are ongoing.
