Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni has denied the charges against him during his court appeal hearing and insisting that he was just doing his job in a case seen as a barometer of press freedoms in the country. Battling a three-year jail term handed down in August, after his arrest on March 7th for coverage of the Algerian protests, Drareni was greeted by a crowd of supporters outside the court in the capital Algiers. Press freedom watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF), has condemned the three-year jail term and a fine of $388. According to RSF, Drareni was arrested while covering a protest led by the Hirak, and accused of having criticised Algeria's political system on Facebook.
