Algerian opponent and Hirak figure Karim Tabbou was arrested on Friday in Algiers, the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees (CNLD) announced.
The coordinator of the Democratic and Social Union (UDS – not approved), Karim Tabbou was “arrested at home by the police”, posted on Facebook the Committee without giving details on the reasons for this arrest.
“Stop the instrumentalization of justice, opinion is not a crime”, indicated the Committee.
This arrest comes following statements in which Karim Tabbou paid a “tribute to Hakim Debbazi”, a prisoner of conscience who died last Saturday in Koléa prison.
In his publication, he held the authorities responsible for his death following a cardiac arrest, stressing that “of course the authorities remain and will remain solely responsible for his death”.
According to Karim Tabbou, the deceased had “taken on his frail shoulders, the full weight of the claims expressed in the Hirak”, of which he had become one of the main leaders in his locality of Hadjout (west).
“Let’s keep the sense of his sacrifice, let’s remain constant and continue our fight for the advent of the rule of law. Rest in peace Hakim, your fight will not be in vain, ”adds Karim Tabbou in his publication.
Arrested on September 26, 2019 in the context of another case, Karim Tabbou had also been imprisoned for nine months before being granted conditional release on July 2 for “undermining national security”.
In another case, Karim Tabbou was sentenced on appeal on March 24, 2020 to one year in prison for the same count of “undermining national security”, due to a video published on his party’s Facebook page. in which he criticized military interference in political affairs.
Algeria has recorded in recent weeks, a few months before the legislative elections, an upsurge in repression and arrests of demonstrations.
Recently, several Algerian and international organizations have expressed their concerns regarding the repression of the right to freedom of expression in this Maghreb country.
According to the national committee for the release of detainees, 300 people, accused, among other things, of undermining state security, undermining the integrity of the territory and subversive acts, are currently languishing in Algerian prisons in deplorable conditions.
Most are prosecuted for simply expressing an opinion, in particular through publications on social networks.
With MAP
