Algeria Quietly Prosecuted Protest Leaders During its COVID-19 Lockdown

State College — During the near-total lockdown of Algeria amidst the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Algerian courts were open for business to a select number of officials and defendants. Under the cover of this lockdown, Algeria has been using the opportunity to quietly put away protesters, garnering criticism by various human rights groups.

In March and April, there were a large number of arrests of high-profile activists from the Hirak Movement, also known as the Revolution of Smiles, for participation in anti-government demonstrations. The courts also summoned multiple people for social media activity, including fining a man hundreds of thousands of Algerian Dinar for posting negative opinions of the police’s actions during the protest.

Map courtesy of WikiMedia Commons — *Map courtesy of* *WikiMedia Commons*

The protests began in February 2019, after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his candidacy for a fifth term. Demonstrations engulfed the country, forcing Bouteflika to resign in April of 2019. Protests continued weekly well through the inauguration of newly elected President Abdelmajid Tebboune in December of 2019, until COVID-19 pushed demonstrators out of the streets.

As the pandemic pushed Algeria’s government to take drastic measures to halt the spread of the virus, President Tebboune pardoned nearly 5,000 prisoners who had committed minor, nonviolent offenses. Hirak protesters were excluded from release, along with murderers, rapists, and drug dealers.

In another example cited by critics of the regime, protest leader Karim Tabbou was charged with additional crimes related to his participation in the Hirak movement. Tabbou was one day away from serving a six-month sentence for other protest-related charges before his sentence was doubled.

The government has also routinely cracked down on the media covering demonstrations. Amnesty International criticized Algeria for its censorship of two independent media channels after its founders were accused of insulting the president. Amnesty also demanded the release of several journalists that have landed behind bars in the country, some with considerably long jail sentences for filming demonstrations.

Despite several setbacks, the Hirak movement has been given credit by several observers for the amount of change that they have been able to bring about in the country. Amel Boubekeur, a visiting fellow for the European Council on Foreign Relations, points out that, “The Hirak has created a political culture of popular empowerment, but it still has to agree on a road map for a political transition.” Though the government seems intent on crushing the movement when the opportunity presents itself, there’s no doubting the popularity the movement has in the country. As protesters begin returning to the streets as lockdowns are lifted, they are intent on not giving the government a choice.