Activists pardoned

Algerian authorities have released at least 35 pro-democracy activists under presidential pardons issued ahead of the second anniversary of a popular uprising. A report on the News24 site notes that the Hirak protest movement, which swept strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power in 2019, marked its second anniversary on Sunday. The National Committee for the Liberation of Prisoners said among those pardoned was prominent journalist Khalid Drareni, a correspondent for French-language TV5 Monde and press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders.