A former Algerian minister and diplomat sharply criticized the lack of freedoms in his country since Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s rise to power in 2019. In a post on Facebook, he deplored the muzzling of counter-powers and the Algerian governance made of “populism” and “opportunism”.
Without frontally criticizing the Algerian power in place, a clan of which he was a member and whose codes he respects (by having a negative position vis-à-vis Morocco and by feeding Algerian propaganda), the former Minister of Communication, and former Algerian ambassador to Spain, Abdelaziz Rahabi published a critical word on the situation of freedoms in Algeria.
The diplomat who claims to be part of the opposition today, has just commented on the situation of freedoms, in particular of expression in the light of the case of the imprisonment of journalist El Kadi Ihsane.
If he did not mention him by name, he nevertheless felt that it was time to issue his warnings, as the situation seems to threaten anyone expressing an opinion different from that enacted by the power of Tebboune, including him. -same.
“The deprivation of liberty of a journalist or a political activist in the world is an extreme and exceptional measure”he wrote, saying that by doing so in recent years, “political power in Algeria favors the off shore opposition and gives a poor image”.
The former minister added that in Algeria, the people have nevertheless “the reputation of being attached to one’s dignity and freedom”. Abdelaziz Rahabi regretted that the power in his country “misguided in attitudes out of step with the expected appeasement measures and our deep aspiration for freedom and our legitimate ambition to be part of the international reality”.
Criticizing this time the power embodied by Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the former minister declared that he is “It is illusory to want to moralize social and political life and fight corruption by muzzling counter-powers and neglecting civil society, essential levers alongside justice”.
The Algerian president has performed an authoritarian tour de force to strengthen single thought and his dictatorship. Since his election, he has closed associations, imprisoned opposition party leaders, journalists and ordinary citizens for posting on Facebook, prevented parties from holding their congresses, threatened heads of parties, dissolved Parliament to admit only his clan, exerted pressure and censorship once morest newspapers pushing them to close or to adopt a pro-regime discourse…
In his warning, Abdelaziz Rahabi denounced the marginalization of journalists, the opposition, and civil society which risks creating periods of crisis similar to those of the 1980s or that linked to the fall of the former president. Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019 causing a historic and unprecedented popular uprising in Algeria.
“The risk is real because the shrinking of individual and collective freedoms opens the way to radicalism and archaisms in a society where populism and opportunism have long been elevated to the rank of governance”he denounced.
