Well-known independence war veteran Lakhdar Bouregaa, was released from jail on 2 January 2020. He had been detained for six months for questioning the army’s intentions and criticizing the late army chief Gaid Salah, but was set free even before his trial, as the current government seeks to reduce the intensity of the Hirak. The 86 year old man was arrested for “insulting a state body” and “taking part in a scheme to demoralize the army with the aim of harming the nation’s defense”. Another well-know personality to be released on bail is retired general Hocine Benhadid. Benhadid was also accused of “demoralizing the army” after criticizing Gaid Salah. Cartoonist Abdelhamid Amine, who was sentenced to three months imprisonment for his anti-government cartoons under the pen name “Nime“, was released after serving one month. Another group of 73 people were also released in a coordinated nationwide decision.
The release of these personalities, and more to come, is part of a roadmap drawn by the regime to ease public pressure on the political front. In its next move, the government of Tebboune is expected to dissolve parliament, and announce legislative elections. We expect the former ruling FLN and RND to see their positions erode substantially as part of a roadmap to sideline the previous regime’s operatives and support system.
However, and while Tebboune and the military will be able to ease pressure on them a bit, the Hirak movement is not likely to drop its demands for wholesale regime change, which would inevitably include a new constitution and the withdrawal of the military from civilian and political affairs. This is likely to be a long-term battle between the current government, which is an extension of the Bouteflika reign, and the Hirak movement, which could experience a boost in its profile with the ongoing release of key figures, who pledged continued fight against an outdated system.
