On 7 March 2019, Algerian blogger and prisoner of conscience Merzoug Touati was released. On 4 March 2019, an Algerian court issued a new verdict reducing Marzoug Touati’s sentence from seven to two years in prison and three years of suspended prison term. The decision prompted his release as he had already served two years in prison. Amnesty International has been calling for Merzoug Touati’s immediate and unconditional release, as he was a prisoner of conscience solely detained for his peaceful posts online.
