Canadian researcher released from Algerian prison after sentence reduced on appeal

A Canadian researcher whose criminal conviction in Algeria was criticized by human rights groups has been released from prison after a court reduced his sentence.

Raouf Farrah's lawyer, Kouceila Zerguine, says an appeals court in the eastern Algerian city of Constantine reduced his client's prison sentence from two years to eight months, and Farrah, who had been detained since February, was released today with time served.

He says Farrah's release is a relief but not a victory and that he is now seeking to have the Algerian Supreme Court review the conviction.

Farrah said in a phone interview he's looking forward to reuniting with his wife, his four-year-old daughter and his parents.

The former Montreal resident, who studies migration and criminal economies for an international non-governmental organization, was convicted of publishing secret information and being paid to commit offences against public order.

Farrah's employer, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, says it is pleased with the sentence reduction but that the charges against him were without merit.