News / North Africa

Algeria releases 76 protest detainees, including prominent opposition activist

Thursday, 02 January 2020 7:02 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 02 January 2020 7:22 PM ]

Algerian anti-government protesters chant slogans as they gather with national flags during a demonstration in the centre of the Algerian capital Algiers on December 31, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Algeria has released 76 detainees, including a prominent opposition activist, the Justice Ministry said Thursday, as the state seeks to end months of mass protests.

Those released included Lakhdar Bouregaa, a veteran of the 1960s war of independence who was detained in June, and retired General Hocine Benhadid, according to a ministry statement. Dozens of others have also been freed in recent days.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was elected last month in a vote that the opposition had opposed as illegitimate, is seeking dialog with the leaderless protest movement.

Political analysts in Algiers said the release of the detainees may be aimed at winning support among the opposition for talks.

“The release of Bouregaa today is a good signal to alleviate the tension,” analyst Farid Ferrahi said.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in February, marching first daily and then weekly, forcing veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April to step down.

State authorities, including the powerful military, have tried to quell the protests by arresting many Bouteflika allies on corruption charges, while allowing the demonstrations to continue.

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Tebboune was elected in a vote that the protest movement opposed as illegitimate, demanding that the entire ruling elite quit power before any election could take place. He took 58% of votes with a turnout of 40%, according to official figures.

The election had been pushed by the army and its chief of staff, Ahmed Gaed Salah, who died suddenly last week of a heart attack. Tebboune swiftly replaced him with another general of the same generation, the land forces chief, Said Chengriha.

Although many protesters saw Gaed Salah and allied generals as the main obstacle in their path, many of them also credited him for not using violence against their demonstrations. Hundreds of thousands of people attended his funeral procession.

Bouregaa, a veteran of Algeria’s war of independence in the 1960s, was detained in June as the authorities began to arrest more of the protesters who had flooded the streets since February.

(Source: Reuters)

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