Algeria Cracks down on Activists in Bid to Break Protest Movement

Demonstrators chant slogans during a protest demanding the removal of the ruling elite in Algiers, Algeria July 19, 2019. (Reuters)
Demonstrators chant slogans during a protest demanding the removal of the ruling elite in Algiers, Algeria July 19, 2019. (Reuters)
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Algeria Cracks down on Activists in Bid to Break Protest Movement

Demonstrators chant slogans during a protest demanding the removal of the ruling elite in Algiers, Algeria July 19, 2019. (Reuters)
Demonstrators chant slogans during a protest demanding the removal of the ruling elite in Algiers, Algeria July 19, 2019. (Reuters)

Algeria has intensified a crackdown on an anti-government protest movement, targeting social media users in a bid to stop demonstrations resuming once coronavirus restrictions end.

Weekly protests rocked the North African country for more than a year and only stopped in March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The "Hirak" protest movement caused the downfall of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April 2019 after 20 years in power. It has continued demanding an overhaul of Algeria's governance system, in place since independence from France in 1962.

Authorities have made about 200 arrests linked to the protests since the country's coronavirus restrictions came into effect three months ago, according to Said Salhi, vice president of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights.

"The authorities have taken advantage of the lull to arrest the maximum number of activists," he said.

Protesters are being pursued for "crimes of opinion and expression connected to posts on social media, particularly Facebook", he said, with some of their homes searched and mobile phones confiscated.

Most of the authorities' actions are based on changes to the penal code that were passed in April amid the health crisis and have been denounced by human rights activists.

'Muzzling the media'

Salhi called the moves "an irresponsible attack, verging on provocation, against fundamental human rights".

On Thursday, more than 20 opposition activists were summoned to appear in seven separate hearings, mostly in trials that had been delayed due to the pandemic.

Those accused include figures in the protest movement, political activists, journalists and people accused of mocking the regime online.

"The government doesn't believe in change, it refuses to listen to the people," lawyer Mustapha Bouchachi was quoted as saying this week in French-language daily Liberte.

"In my opinion, it is making these arrests to break the Hirak," he added.

According to detainees' rights association CNLD, 60 prisoners of conscience are currently jailed.

In a sign the government might be nervous about the public mood, several academics rushed to its defense in official media this week, accusing a "neo-Hirak" of being "in the service of a foreign plan".

But press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on the Algerian authorities to "stop using the justice system to muzzle the media".

"The increase in legal proceedings against Algerian journalists is extremely worrying and indicates a blatant deterioration of press freedom in Algeria," RSF director for North Africa, Souhaieb Khayati, said in a statement.

Four Algerian journalists were prosecuted or sentenced to prison this week.

Opposite impact?

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has also urged Algerian authorities to "stop using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to clamp down on press freedom".

Some of Algeria's coronavirus lockdown measures have been gradually lifted since June 7.

But gatherings, including the weekly Hirak marches, are still strictly forbidden.

Algeria has officially reported 11,385 cases and 811 deaths from the COVID-19 illness.

Provincial areas have seen sporadic mobilizations in support of detainees in recent weeks, particularly in the northeastern Kabylie region, while Algiers has remained quiet.

Defying the restrictions, protesters across the country rallied on Friday to call for the government to step down, according to NGOs and videos shared online.

The CNLD reported about a dozen arrests were made in Kabylie's Bejaia and several more in the region's other main cities of Tizi Ouzou and Bouira.

Small numbers of protesters have also been arrested elsewhere across the country, including in the northwestern city of Oran, according to the CNLD.

An anti-government coalition within the Pact for the Democratic Alternative has urged Algerians to "stay mobilized but vigilant in order to engage forcefully in the resumption of peaceful protests" when the health situation allows.

And although there were calls on social media to restart weekly protests on Friday, activists, lawyers, student associations and political parties warned of the health risks.

But instead of crushing the unprecedented, leaderless protest movement, the crackdown could have the opposite effect.

"There is a general feeling of 'hogra'" prevailing among the population, said Salhi, using an Algerian term that refers to injustice and abuse of power.

"Some are already planning to go back to the streets" despite the coronavirus risk, he said.



Iraq and Syria Open ‘New Chapter’ in Ties to Confront ‘Common Challenges’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
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Iraq and Syria Open ‘New Chapter’ in Ties to Confront ‘Common Challenges’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stressed on Tuesday his country’s support to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning the Israeli incursion into its land.

Sudani held telephone talks with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first between the two leaders since the latter assumed his post in January.

Sudani’s office said he underlined “Iraq’s firm stance in supporting the Syrian people’s choices and the importance that all of Syria’s segments join its political process.”

The process should “ensure peaceful coexistence and security to achieve a secure and stable future for Syria and the whole region,” he added.

He also emphasized the importance of “mutual cooperation in confronting the threat of ISIS,” as well as cooperation in economic fields.

Since the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in December, Iraqi authorities have imposed strict measures along the border with Syria to bar the infiltration of gunmen and ISIS members.

The Syrian presidency said Sudani and Sharaa discussed bilateral relations between their countries and means to bolster them in various fields. They also underscored the “depth of relations between their people and economy.”

They stressed the importance of opening a new chapter in bilateral ties based on joint cooperation to confront regional challenges and prevent tensions in the region.

They discussed border security and cooperation in combating drug smuggling.

Sharaa said Syria is “committed to developing bilateral relations and respecting Iraq’s sovereignty.” He expressed “keenness on refraining in meddling in its internal affairs, stressing the need for cooperation to confront common challenges and consolidating political ties” between their countries.

Sudani also welcomed the formation of the new Syrian government, which was announced on Saturday.

Forces within Iraq’s ruling pro-Iran Coordination Framework were opposed to establishing relations with the new Syrian authorities, led by Sharaa, that ousted the Assad regime.

An Iraqi source said the talks between Sudani and Sharaa helped “break the ice and tensions after a series of positive measures taken by the Syrian authorities to ease Iraqi concerns.”

Baghdad has been wary of the new authorities and has been hesitant in approaching them due to security concerns and the fears of the possible re-emergence of the ISIS terrorist group in the region.

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's visit to Baghdad in March where he met with Sudani helped break the ice.

During the visit, Baghdad urged the new Syrian rulers to “take into consideration Syria’s religious and ethnic diversity and to exert efforts in protecting religious freedoms and fighting terrorism,” revealed a source close to the Iraqi government.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sudani and Sharaa stressed during their call keenness on developing ties between their countries after Syria’s assurances that it would respect diversity and forge ahead with serious dialogue with various segments.

Prominent Sunni Iraqi politician Khamis al-Khanjar criticized the “voices that have been skeptical and opposed to rapprochement between Iraq and Syria.”

In a statement on Tuesday, he said Sudani and Sharaa’s telephone call should be praised, underlining his support for steps taken by the Iraqi government to be open to the Arab world and reclaim its sovereign voice.