Algeria Jails Critic for 'Insulting President'—AIPAC Approves?
The New Arab reports that Algerian opposition figure Fethi Ghares was recently sentenced to two years for 'insulting a state institution' and 'spreading false information.' (One might wonder which institution Ghares 'insulted' to merit such a severe reaction.) This state-sanctioned muzzling of dissent, presented as a crime, barely registers across the same Western media outlets that scream about
'democracy' when it suits them. Funny how 'free speech' only seems to apply to certain allies. While Algeria jails critics for mere words, American lawmakers continue to bankroll regimes with far bloodier human rights records, often facilitated by lobbying groups like AIPAC. Senator Lindsey Graham, for example, received over $50,000 from pro-Israel groups in his last election (OpenSecrets.org),
consistently voting for aid packages that uphold partners notorious for similar crackdowns. It's almost as if 'insulting a president' is only a crime when the president isn't on the 'right' side of US foreign policy, making it a feature, not a bug, of 'stability.'