فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
An Algerian influencer known as “Doualemn” was arrested in Montpellier after posting a TikTok video that allegedly called for violence. Initially scheduled to be tried at the end of February, he was expelled to Algeria on Thursday, according to his lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Mousset.
The 59-year-old influencer was placed in an administrative detention center in Nîmes on Tuesday and was transferred to Paris on Thursday afternoon. From the airport tarmac, he managed to contact his family and lawyer just before his flight took off. Mousset criticized the government’s swift action to expel him, suggesting it was intended to prevent a judge from reviewing the expulsion order issued by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
On Tuesday, the public prosecutor of Montpellier, Fabrice Belargent, announced that Doualemn would be tried on February 24 for “provocation to commit a crime or offense,” but he was not placed in pre-trial detention. The video in question had been reported by Montpellier’s mayor, Michaël Delafosse, and the prefect of Hérault, François-Xavier Lauch.
The prosecutor explained that the video called in Arabic for “killing” and “causing suffering” to a man described as an anti-government protester. However, translations provided by expert interpreters indicated that the phrase “kill him” was not actually used. Instead, Doualemn allegedly suggested giving “a severe correction” to someone believed to reside in Algeria.
While he acknowledged a regrettable “slip” in language, his lawyer insisted that Doualemn did not call for murder. The prefect of Hérault stated that there was sufficient cause to revoke his residence permit and proceed with the expulsion due to an alleged call for torture against an opponent of the current regime in Algeria.
A psychiatric evaluation requested by the prosecution was completed on Wednesday, allowing for Doualemn’s trial without his presence.
