Mohamed Benhlima is a former military officer and anti-corruption activist who exposed the corruption of high-ranking Algerian military officials. He fled Algeria to Spain in September 2019 out of fear of being targeted by the authorities for his participation in a peaceful mass anti-government protest movement. He was sentenced to death in absentia in 2021. On 4 September 2022, an Algiers appeal court upheld his conviction in relation to charges of “participation in a terrorist group” and “publishing fake news undermining national unity”, in three separate cases and sentenced him to a total of twelve years in prison.
