Algerian security forces have launched an unprecedented campaign of arrests against political activists ahead of the constitutional referendum scheduled for November 1.
Observers believe the authorities are concerned over the Hirak movement resuming its protests, which were suspended in March after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The drop in COVID-19 cases in the country prompted activists to resume protests demanding “radical change” and rejecting the proposed constitutional amendments.
The campaign began on October 5, the day which symbolizes the ‘Algerian Spring’ when, 32 years ago, tens of thousands protested their living conditions and called for democracy, freedom, and termination of the one-party system.
The activists commemorated the occasion by marching in major cities, including Algiers, Constantine and Bejaia in the east, and Tlemcen in the west, but police went out in force to stop the demonstrations.
The Hirak believes that the presidential elections that brought Abdelmadjid Tebboune, failed to achieve necessary changes for reform, claiming that Tebbooune had collaborated with former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika for many years.
Tebboune, however, has stressed that he is “moving in the direction that the Hirak wants”, claiming some of his cabinet ministers were involved in the movement, such as Minister of Industry Ferhat Ait Ali, Secretary of State for Film Industry Bachir Youcef Sehairi, and Minister of Culture Malika Bendouda.
The President asserted that the constitution which will be submitted to a referendum will “fulfill the demands of the movement.”
In a number of states, the authorities arrested on Wednesday professors, university students, journalists, and several political activists, some of whom were later released.
The editor in chief of “Maghreb Emergent” online newspaper, El-Kadi Ihsane, announced that detectives at the headquarters of Algiers’ Gendarmerie canceled an initial investigation with him. He left the station minutes after being summoned for questioning.
Earlier, the editorial staff issued a statement announcing that Ihsane had been called by the gendarmerie for investigation. The statement confirmed that the newspaper and its radio have been suspended since last April due to their political statements that do not appease the government.
Government spokesman and Minister of Communication Ammar Belhimer accused Ihsane and the newspaper’s partners of receiving funding from abroad, which is prohibited by law. The journalist categorically denied the accusations.
He also criticized Ihsane for an article published last March describing the “catastrophic” first 100 days of the presidential term.
During a meeting with the press, the president responded implicitly to Ihsane, saying the journalist was "prejudiced.”
A number of journalists including Khaled Drareni, a correspondent for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), remains in prison on charges of "harming national unity" and “assembly without permit.” Abdelkrim Zeghileche is also in custody for “insulting the head of the state” in a Facebook post.
Most of the journalists say that the situation has not improved since Bouteflika stepped down, pointing out that the “new Algeria” praised by the authorities is merely “a big prison.”
