The Paris police prefect banned three demonstrations protesting the Algerian government scheduled for Sunday in Paris, Place de la République, due to risks of public disorder “in the context of the anniversary of the Hirak and violence between opposing anti and pro-regime factions.”
The gatherings were to be organized by the “Movement for Justice and Against Corruption in Algeria,” a collective for “the immediate release of all detainees and political prisoners in Algeria” and “for the establishment of a sovereign constituent assembly,” and another collective, “Free Algeria.”
Laurent Nuñez had already banned such gatherings last week for the same reasons.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Hirak, a popular protest movement initiated in 2019 to oppose Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term, which led to his resignation.
Algerian authorities continue to “repress the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” by “targeting critical voices of dissent,” five years after the pro-democracy Hirak demonstrations, Amnesty International denounced on Thursday.
In a report on the past five years, the organization called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.”
Author: The article was published by Le Monde with contributions from AFP.
