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Algeria Releases Key Hirak Leader

FILE PHOTO: Protesters march during an anti-government demonstration in Algiers, Algeria January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
FILE PHOTO: Protesters march during an anti-government demonstration in Algiers, Algeria January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
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Algeria Releases Key Hirak Leader

FILE PHOTO: Protesters march during an anti-government demonstration in Algiers, Algeria January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
FILE PHOTO: Protesters march during an anti-government demonstration in Algiers, Algeria January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina

Algeria on Thursday provisionally released a key protest movement leader, Karim Tabbou, and three other jailed activists ahead of the country's independence day.

Tabbou, 47, is one of the most prominent if not best-known figure of "Hirak" -- a movement that forced the downfall last April of longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

He walked out of Kolea jail, west of Algiers in the afternoon, an AFP correspondent said.

He was accompanied by activists Amira Bouraoui and Samir Benlarbi who were seen leaving the same prison after also being granted provisional releases.

Bouraoui embraced her family, while her two companions draped her with Algerian flags. A small crowd shouted pro-Hirak slogans.

"Our happiness is not complete. In leaving, I left two brothers in prison," Benlarbi said briefly.

Among the best known "Hirak" figures behind bars is journalist Khaled Drareni, head of the information website Casbah Tribune and correspondent for French television channel Tv5Monde. His request for release was rejected.

A fourth activist Slimane Hamitouche "has already gone home", said one of his lawyers, Abderahmane Salah.

Tabbou, jailed in September 2019, was serving a one-year sentence for an "attack on the integrity of national territory".

He also faces a charge of "damaging the morale of the army", in a trial which has been postponed to September 14.

Abdellah Benadouda, founder of the US-based pro-Hirak Radio Corona Internationale, said the next step would be to "liberate the justice" system in Algeria.

Bouraoui's lawyer said Bouraoui was also freed provisionally, pending another appeal hearing on September 24.

She was sentenced to a one-year jail term on June 21 for a string of charges, including "offending" the president and Islam as well as for "incitement" to violate coronavirus confinement regulations.

Sosiane Djilali, head of an opposition party, said a month ago that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had told him in a meeting he would "ensure that Karim Tabbou and Samir Benlarbi regain their freedom".

Benlarbi, a media personality, had been held in preventive detention.

Also ahead of the July 5 anniversary of Algeria's 1962 independence from France, Tebboune on Wednesday pardoned six prisoners, including three linked to Hirak.

Weekly anti-government protests rocked Algeria for more than a year and only came to a halt in March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, with the authorities banning marches -- although the opposition had already stopped gathering, due to concerns about the virus.

But the Algerian government continues to target opponents, journalists, independent media and internet users.

According to the National Committee for the Release of Detainees (CNLD), almost 70 people are currently detained on charges linked to the protest movement, mostly over Facebook posts.

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Damascus Disarms Regime Loyalist Sleeper Cells in Deir Ezzor

Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)
Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)
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Damascus Disarms Regime Loyalist Sleeper Cells in Deir Ezzor

Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)
Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)

The internal security command in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province has banned remnants of the former regime from owning or carrying weapons, following the completion of the initial phases of a sweeping security crackdown.

The campaign, which focused on the city of al-Mayadeen near the Iraqi border, led to the arrest of dozens of wanted individuals and the seizure of large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

Col. Derrar al-Shamlan, head of internal security in the province, said 85% of the operation had been completed and described it as a major effort to dismantle “sources of chaos and threats to public safety.”

“A firm decision has been issued to prohibit the possession or ownership of all types of weapons by remnants of the ousted regime and their collaborators, due to the threat they pose to community security and stability,” Shamlan said.

He added that the ban followed confirmed reports that such weapons had been used in homicides and acts of intimidation. Shamlan also announced the completion of the second and third phases of the campaign, with plans to extend operations to the rest of Deir Ezzor province.

Security forces also launched a weapons crackdown on areas once under Iranian influence during the era of the former regime, security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The operation comes amid growing concerns that Iran could activate loyalist sleeper cells in Syria to stage attacks, as tensions escalate between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Analysts say such moves may be aimed at widening the conflict and easing pressure on Iran from Israeli airstrikes.

According to security officials, the campaign focused on disarming groups in the city of al-Mayadeen. Authorities exercised extreme caution during the raids, given the tribal nature of the region.

The operation was conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, whose forces sealed off the area and imposed a curfew.

Officials emphasized that cooperation with local residents and tribal leaders was a priority. The Syrian leadership, the sources said, is relying on tribal elders to help restore and maintain security across the country’s east.

Dozens of people have been arrested in the sweeping campaign in Deir Ezzor, with local sources estimating the number of detainees at more than 70. The charges include illegal weapons possession, drug trafficking, smuggling, murder, and failure to comply with reconciliation procedures, residents told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the sources, over a third of those detained were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias. Many of them, they said, were well-known in the area and had long been a source of fear and unrest for local communities.

“There is widespread frustration that the government delayed cracking down on these individuals,” one source said, noting that some of those arrested had joined the public security apparatus, only to resume their previous illegal activities.