Trial date set for Canadian anti-crime researcher detained in Algeria since February

MONTREAL — A trial date has been set for a Canadian researcher detained in Algeria on charges he published secret information and accepted money to commit offences against public order.

Raouf Farrah, who was born in Algeria but came to Canada as a teenager, is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 8 in the city of Constantine.

His lawyer, Kouceila Zerguine, says Farrah was arrested February while visiting family in Algeria.

Human Rights Watch says the arrest of Farrah, a senior analyst with the Geneva-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, is part of a larger crackdown on supporters of democracy in Algeria.