On 24 March, an Algiers Court canceled the release from prison of political activist Karim Tabbou, shamelessly taking advtange of a freeze in the Hirak movement to punish opposition figures. Journalist Khaled Dradeni and others were also arrested. Tabbou was sentenced by the court to another six months in prison, even though his lawyers were absent. On 11 March he was handed six months in prison and an additional six-month suspended sentence for “undermining national unity,” making his release possible as of 26 March 2020.
Appearing before a judge without his attorneys, Karim Tabbou demanded the presence of his lawyers, before feeling unwell. He was reported to have suffered a hypertensive peak, which caused him to become partially paralyzed. He was evacuated to an unknown location, according to a lawyer affiliated to Tabbou’s UDS’ party. Said Salhi, vice-president of human rights organization LADDH said “We are stunned by what is happening, not only to Karim Tabbou but to the Algerian justice system. It’s beyond comprehension.” Amnesty International’s Heba Morayef said “Karim should never have been charged in the first place simply for expressing peaceful political views and the authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him.”
Anti-regime Hirak movement sends warning signals to regime from Algiers’ balconies
Confined inside their homes, thousands of Algerians expressed their support to Karim Tabbou from their balconies, chanting and yelling pro-Tabbou slogans after the regime’s court decided to keep him in prison. At around 8:00 p.m. on 24 March, hundreds of people living in downtown Algiers took to their balconies and began beating the traditional kitchen mortars from their balconies, chanting “Free Karim Tabbou” NS “Allah Akbar Karim Tabbou”. The kitchen mortar name in Algerian in Mahraz, a term used by the National Committee for the Release of Detainees of Opinion (CNLD) to launch a campaign calling for the continuation of the anti-regime Hirak movement from within the confinement environment.
