Algerian activist Mohamed Tadjadit, dubbed"the poet of the Hirak" during Algeria's 2019 mass pro-democracy protests, was jailed for five years Tuesday on charges including"condoning terrorism", his lawyer said.

Tadjadit became prominent for his public recitations during protests by the Hirak movement, which erupted in February 2019 and helped force the resignation of longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Tadjadit's lawyer, Fetta Sadat, said in a post on Facebook that her client was convicted of"condoning terrorism","supporting terrorist organisations" and "spreading extremist ideas", among other charges.

The prosecution had sought a 10-year sentence.

In a joint statement on Monday, some 20 NGOs including Amnesty International and writers' rights group PEN America said the allegations against Tadjadit were"baseless" and called for his release.

"The persecution of Tadjadit is based on his poetry and peaceful activism, making his continued imprisonment a violation of his fundamental rights," the statement added.

"His prosecution sends an alarming signal to others who raise their voices for human rights and the rule of law in Algeria," it said.

"The authorities imprisoned Tadjadit at least six times between 2019 and 2025, for his artistic expression and political activism," it added.

Tadjadit's last release from prison came in November last year under a presidential pardon.

But in January, he was arrested again and sentenced to five years in a separate case before an appeal reduced that term to one year.

Upon his election in December 2019, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune oversaw a crackdown on the protests with ramped-up policing and the imprisonment of demonstrators.