Opposition figures in and outside of Algeria have been issuing statements calling for the halt in the anti-government rallies that have rocked Algeria since 22 February 2019. Most opposition personalities active on social media have joined the call to get the Algerian people avoid public gatherings, a called followed by prominent journalists and reporters who said they will halt their work in respect to the fight against the virus.
Among the latest to agree with the call is the secular party, the RCD, which announced on 17 March its decision to halt is participation in “all activities that may be a vector for the spread of COVID 19.” The virus has killed so far five out of 60 people officially infected. “Faced with the extreme gravity of the threat that hangs over the lives of Algerians and that the WHO and all public health specialists point the finger, RCD believes that this is not the time for political calculations nor for procrastination,” said the party in a statement. “The RCD, a stakeholder in the popular movement, decides to comply with the unanimous opinions of scientists to suspend its participation in all Hirak and other activities, until the situation improves.”
Joining the call is the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH), which issued a statement on 17 March, calling for temporary suspension of the Hirak. LADDH said “the restrictions taken to respond to the virus must be motivated by legitimate public health objectives and must in no case be used to stifle freedoms.” LADDH urged the government to prevent using this event to stifle freedoms, insisting that “human rights violations and repression have no place in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.”
Among the personalities that agreed with the move is the UK-based opposition figure Mohamed Larbi Zitout and Algiers-based journalist, Khaled Drareni.
In a speech this evening (17 March 2020), Algerian President, Abdelmajid Tebboune, announced the prohibition of all kinds of gathering, essentially formalizing a ban on the anti-regime Hirak movement. Tebboune said this is part of the preventive measures taken by the state to “stem the spread of the coronavirus.” Another decision was the banning of prayers in mosques. Tebboune noted that “the state is ready to deal with the epidemic,” calling on Algerians “to follow the instructions of the ministry of health.” The Algeria president sought to ease public tension by saying “We have more than 15 million masks in stock and the purchase of more than 40 million is in progress, as well as 2,500 beds equipped with artificial respirators.
