Algeria Sentences MAK Leader to 20 Years in Prison

Leader of Kabylia Self-Determination Movement (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni
Leader of Kabylia Self-Determination Movement (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni
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Algeria Sentences MAK Leader to 20 Years in Prison

Leader of Kabylia Self-Determination Movement (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni
Leader of Kabylia Self-Determination Movement (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni

A criminal court in the Algerian capital on Wednesday sentenced in absentia the leader of Kabylia Self-Determination Movement (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni, and six other people to 20 years in prison on charges of “committing terrorist and subversive acts targeting the security of the state and national unity.”
The rulings included 20 other defendants, who stood before the judges and were questioned about their crimes.
The court sought penalties for the group of defendants ranging from three to 10 years. They were accused of trading “considerable quantities of weapons and spreading ideas that target the security of the state.”
Algeria has a “strict” criminal law in penalties against defendants classified as “fugitives.”
Four other defendants in the case were acquitted for lack of evidence.
Founded 20 years ago, MAK is a group advocating for self-determination for Algeria's Amazigh Kabylia region, in the east of the country.
In his defense, a representative of the public prosecutor accused the defendants of participating in organizations and groups engaged in terrorist and subversive activities.
He said they “used information and communication technologies to recruit people for the benefit of a terrorist organization”.
The court representative also accused them of receiving funds from foreign parties to conduct acts targeting the security of the state and of “plotting with the Zionist entity.”
In return, the defense team has denied all the charges and said there is a lack of evidence against the defendants. The team demanded that the court brings the weapons and ammunition that security services claim they had seized.
In May 2021, the Algerian regime designated MAK a “terrorist group”.
Mehenni, 72, and the six other defendants live in France, where they benefit from a political asylum status.
In 2021, the Algerian judiciary issued an international arrest warrant for the MAK leader and accused him of being involved in the significant wildfires that affected the country and several other cases.
Mehenni, a famous singer, founded the movement in 2001 following bloody clashes between Algerian security forces and residents from the Kbaylia region after a young man was killed by a police officer.
The clashes left 170 dead and tens of injuries.
In video footage that was shared online, Mehenni denied all the accusations made against him.
In 2010, the movement declared the establishment of a temporary government led by Mehenni for the Kabylia region in Paris.

 

 



Lebanese PM Slams Int’l Community’s ‘Silence over Israeli Crimes’

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)
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Lebanese PM Slams Int’l Community’s ‘Silence over Israeli Crimes’

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut. (Government office)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati slammed on Monday the international community’s “silence over Israel’s crimes and destruction” in his country.

“The international community is complicit in these crimes when countries that champion humanity and human rights should be applying maximum pressure on Israel to make it stop its assault,” he added during meetings held with the ambassadors of the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council.

Mikati handed the ambassadors a report by the Health Ministry detailing the damage incurred by the sector from the Israeli raids.

He noted the threats to “priceless cultural heritage” in the cities of Tyre and Baalbek as a result of Israel’s attacks.

Moreover, he reiterated his government’s commitment to Security Council resolution 1701 and its determination to deploy the army in the South.

“It has welcomed every call for a ceasefire, while the Israeli enemy has turned against all proposed solutions and forged ahead in committing war crimes against Lebanon, even reaching its historic sites. These attacks are additional crimes against humanity that should be confronted and stopped,” he urged.

The PM underscored the need for pressure to end the assault to pave the way for talks over how to implement resolution 1701.

Furthermore, he said the government had approved during a recent meeting increasing the presence of army in the South and recruiting more troops. In its next meeting, the ministers will discuss the executive steps to support the recruitment of 1,500 soldiers.

Mikati met with US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson, UK Chargé D'Affaires Victoria Dunne, Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Aleksandr Rudakov, China’s Ambassador Qian Minjian, French Ambassador Herve Magro, and Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze.