Three militants known to the “Hirak “the protest movement antirégime in Algeria, were arrested Sunday, June 14, a-t-on learned from NGOS for the defence of Human rights and prisoners.
Hakim Addad, Zoheir Keddam and Fodil Boumala, who have already been arrested earlier, were arrested separately by the police in Algiers, said Saïd Salhi, vice-president of the algerian League for the defense of Human rights (LADDH).
The exact reason for these arrests is not known.
“For us, this is not part of the appeasement and the return of the serenity, quite the contrary,”said Mr Salhi.
Sixty prisoners of conscience
Activist of the rights of Man, Hakim Addad is a facilitator of the “Hirak “ and a founding member of the Rassemblement action jeunesse (RAJ), an association at the forefront of the protest target of the authorities ‘ repression.
Fodil Boumala is a journalist who must appear in court on Tuesday for “undermining national unity “. Arrested on 18 September 2019, he had been acquitted on march 1, in the first instance by a tribunal of Algiers, and was released after almost six months in pretrial detention, but the prosecutor appealed.
About Zoheir Keddam, he is a member of “orange vests “ the “Silmiya “ (“Pacific “), “interposition force “ citizen who was given a mandate to prevent clashes between police and demonstrators and keep the peace which has been the strength of the market weekly “Hirak “.
The disease Covid-19 in Algeria does not prevent the authorities to prosecute and convict activists of the “Hirak “, political opponents, journalists and internet users.
According to the national Committee for the liberation of prisoners (CNLD), an association of solidarity, at least sixty prisoners of conscience are currently behind bars, mostly for publications on Facebook.
Fear of a resumption of the protests
On Saturday, three activists of the “Hirak “, Merzoug Touati, Yanis Adjila and Amar Beri, were detained after attempting to attend a rally in support of political prisoners in Béjaïa, north-east of Algiers. They must be judged on Wednesday.
They are accused in particular of“inciting crowd not armed “ and “endangering the lives of others during the period of containment “according to Kaci Tansaout, spokesman of the CNLD.
Any form of gathering is strictly prohibited in Algeria because of the health crisis.
After more than a year of mobilization, figures and organizations close to the “Hirak “ had called themselves to suspend “temporarily “ the gatherings as that would act the pandemic.
But with the beginning of the déconfinement, the authority feared a resumption of the protests.
Born in February of 2019, a huge ras-le-bol of the Algerians, the challenge calls for a change in the “system “ in place since independence in 1962. In vain up to now, even if she got in April 2019 the departure of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika after twenty years in power.
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