Algeria Protesters Demand Independent Judiciary

Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)
Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)
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Algeria Protesters Demand Independent Judiciary

Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)
Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)

Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of cities across Algeria Friday, demanding an independent judiciary as dozens of regime opponents endure incarceration.

In the center of the capital Algiers, national flags were held aloft by protesters, signifying the Hirak protest movement's opposition to a regime and leaders that they regard as illegitimate.

One banner read: "I have a dream -- democracy, the rule of law, freedom."

Pictures of detained prisoners of conscience featured alongside messages on numerous placards brought to the rally by protesters.

Around 30 people belonging or linked to the protest movement are currently behind bars, according to the CNLD prisoners' rights group.

"We want an independent judiciary. The injustice must stop!" said Mohammed, a 59-year-old retiree.

Another banner read "We are all Judge Merzoug", referring to a magistrate who was suspended from his duties, amid criticism from Algeria's justice ministry over his purported sympathy with the Hirak.

He is one of two judges who face legal action over links to the protest movement.

Protests also took place in several other cities, including Annaba in the east and Oran in the west, according to images circulating on social media.

The Hirak first mobilized in February 2019 and two months later forced then president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to abandon a bid for a fifth term and then resign.

The movement sees the regime as little changed since his departure from office, and demands a new political system that reflects the will of the people.

A presidential election in late 2019 resulted in victory for President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, once a prime minister under Bouteflika, in a poll where even official figures put turnout at only around 40 percent, amid a substantial boycott organized by the Hirak.



US Military Says It Strikes Iran-Backed Militia Facility in Syria

A convoy of US military vehicles near Qamishli, Syria, February 2020. (SANA/via Reuters)
A convoy of US military vehicles near Qamishli, Syria, February 2020. (SANA/via Reuters)
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US Military Says It Strikes Iran-Backed Militia Facility in Syria

A convoy of US military vehicles near Qamishli, Syria, February 2020. (SANA/via Reuters)
A convoy of US military vehicles near Qamishli, Syria, February 2020. (SANA/via Reuters)

US forces conducted strikes in Syria against Iranian-aligned militia groups for a second day in a row Tuesday in response to further attacks on US personnel, US Central Command said late Tuesday.

In the latest retaliatory strikes, US forces hit a weapons storage and logistics facility after militia groups launched a rocket attack on US personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi in Eastern Syria.

Earlier Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said that over the weekend the militias had also targeted US personnel with a drone attack and indirect fires at another base, Green Village, where US troops are operating — which prompted the US to strike nine militia targets on Monday in self-defense.

There are about 900 US troops deployed in Syria. No US troops were injured in either attack.