The freedom to inform in Algeria has been under attack ever since the last presidential election in 2014. The authorities continue to throttle the media financially in order to restrict their activities. As a result of both economic and judicial harassment, journalists and media outlets find it hard to operate freely. Merzoug Touati, a blogger based in Béjaïa, was arrested in January 2017 after interviewing a foreign diplomat. The journalist Saïd Chitour was arrested in June on suspicion of spying and selling classified documents to foreign diplomats. His case was transferred to a criminal court in November.