Algeria – The Concordian

The Hirak Movement is back to show solidarity to all the people in Algeria who are arbitrarily imprisoned.

On Feb. 19, a group of hundreds of protesters gathered around Place du Canada to commemorate the third anniversary of the Hirak Movement in Algeria.

The Hirak Movement started back in 2019, six days after long-ruling president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his fifth presidential term. The protest became a movement that denounced military dictatorship and its corrupted government. Around 250 protestors were sent to jail.

The leaders of Saturday’s protest were dressed in prison uniforms inside a rolling cage to symbolize the hundreds of Algerians serving prison sentences for expressing their political views during the Hirak protests.

A poster attached to the cage read, “Algeria, free the prisoners that are detained because of political opinions.”

One of the march’s main goals was to spread awareness of the injustices in Algeria. The Algerian government continues to censor journalists and anyone who opposes their ideas.

“We are here to support our friends, our brothers and our Harkis who are in Algeria and are suffering every day,” said Leila Cheurfli, a member of Hirak Canada.

To memorialize their friends and families in Algeria who were imprisoned, a few protesters dressed in prison uniforms and walked inside a moving cage. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

On the third anniversary of the Hirak Movement, protesters marched to the Algerian Consulate to denounce the country’s current leadership and demand freedom of speech. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

Following this protest, around 250 Algerians (pictured above on the poster) were put in jail. CATHERINE REYNOLDS/The Concordian

To show solidarity, demonstrators held posters and flags proudly while filming live videos of the march with their cell phones.

“We want freedom of the press,” said Kouider Abbad, one of the organizers. “There are 450 Algerians in prison because of their opinions,” Abbad added.

Algerian censorship goes beyond journalists but also to anyone who is on social media.

“For a foreign video that was posted, somebody gave it a like. […] He was put in prison for a year.”

Marchers walked around downtown and stopped at the Consulate General of Spain in Montreal. The stop symbolized Spain’s complicity in deporting Brahim Laalami and Mohamed Abdellah, two activists who previously expressed their opinions on Algeria’s corruption and dictatorship.

They chanted, “Spain, Spain, shame on you!”

“Algeria paid [Spain] to have the two young people back, and right now, they are being tortured. These people have kids who were born in Spain, who have families and who work. Despite this, they returned them to Algeria,” explained Cheurfli.

Protestors sang various traditional songs about the Algerian Revolution in remembrance of the war from 1954 to 1962 that marked Algeria’s independence from France. This symbolic act of honour demonstrated the group’s opposition to oppression, tying this protest back to one of the country’s victories towards freedom.

“We don’t want countries like Spain [and] France to hand in Algerians in exchange for money,” said Cheurfli.

Bouteflika is no longer in power since 2019; however, the Hirak Movement will continue to march until there is justice for the imprisoned and radical change in the government.

Photos by Catherine Reynolds

The movement is also known as ‘‘the Hirak’’

Algerians resumed their pro-democracy protests on the second anniversary of the country’s pro-democracy movement on Feb. 22, 2021, following calls for demonstrations launched on social networks in Algiers, the country’s capital.

In support of their compatriots there, the Algerian diaspora in Montreal gathers every weekend from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., not only to demand the departure of the regime in place, but also to urge the Algerian authorities to end all repression against militants and journalists.

The protest begins in front of the Algerian Consulate and ends at Place du Canada.

Bouzid Ichalalene, director of publication of the electronic journal ‘‘INTERLIGNES Algérie,’’ posted about the issue on Twitter, saying: ‘‘Through their placards, the demonstrators demand “a rule of law,” “a free press” and “a free and democratic Algeria.’’

The Hirak protests started two years ago when then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his intention to run the country for a fifth term.

However, even after Bouteflika’s resignation on April 2, 2019, the Algerian community continued to put on pressure to bring down the entire regime.

Unfortunately, in March 2020, all protests were suspended due to coronavirus restrictions, and the Algerian authorities took the suspension of the weekly outdoor Hirak protests as an opportunity to silence the voices of the opposition at a time when the movement started gaining strength internationally.

According to the draft law presented by Algerian Justice Minister, Belkacem Zeghmati, during the month of March: ‘‘Algerians who have committed acts outside the territory ‘seriously prejudicial to the interests of the State’ or ‘undermining national unity’ could be deprived of their nationality, ‘acquired or of origin.’’’’

This draft law, which was submitted by Zeghmati in the form of an amendment to the nationality law, raised serious concerns within the vast Algerian population around the world.

‘‘While Algerian activists are prosecuted for their online posts on social media, those of us living abroad may not be able to return home any time soon,’’ said Bochra Rouag, an Arts and Literature student at LaSalle college, during the protest in Montreal.

After several weeks of controversy on the subject, the Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced the withdrawal of the draft bill because of a misunderstanding.

‘‘We withdrew it because there were other interpretations,” explained Tebboune during his April. 4th press briefing.

The Hirak movement has drawn attention internationally. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Algerian authorities to immediately end violence against peaceful protesters and to stop arbitrary detentions.

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion