Algeria frees prisoners passing school exams amid pardon

Authorities in Algeria have released a number of prisoners who passed their high school exams and issued a presidential pardon decree aimed at encouraging convicts to further their education and reintegrate into society.

On Sunday, 20 prisoners were freed from jail and had their sentences reduced, while 35 others were said to have their sentences partially cut.

The presidential pardon was carried out to coincide with Algeria’s Independence Day earlier this month, the website Algerie360 said, citing the ministry of justice.

Seventy others who successfully passed their baccalaureate exams were freed as part of a separate presidential pardon, this time for common law crimes.

Regarding results, one prisoner scored 18.56 out of 20, while another scored 16.63.

In a statement, the ministry of justice said: "The results achieved reflect the efforts of the state and the importance it attaches to the reintegration of prisoners by adopting various education and training programmes, reported The New Arab’s Arabic-language site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Among this year’s released prisoners was Mohad Gasmi, a human rights and environmental activist from the country’s southern Adrar region who was previously arrested on grounds of freedom of expression and activism.

Also freed was Hassan Hammar, a former president of the ES Setif Football Club, who was sentenced in 2019 on corruption charges.

On 4 July, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune pardoned a total of 8,537 prisoners in accordance with the country’s 61st Independence Day, as well as Youth Day.

Those charged with terrorism, rape, murder, drug trafficking, harming state security, and other serious crimes were not among those pardoned.

Good conduct while in jail was also taken into account.

Last Tuesday, the ministry of justice revealed the success rate for those passing their high school exams came to 44.3 percent - 2,263 out of 5,082 prisoners.

This year's rate was much higher than the previous one, when only 87 prisoners succeeded in their exams.

Presidential or royal pardons are common in North African countries, with thousands of prisoners released every year depending on their sentence and the severity of their crime, often on national holidays.

However, the imprisonment of dissidents, journalists and rights activists is commonplace in the region, and these detainees are not always granted such pardons.