In the statement conveyed by the Presidency of Algeria’s official television channel, it was shared that 30 people convicted and 71 people who were imprisoned were amnestied due to the demonstrations. The decision has come on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and those concerned will be released as of the evening of July 21.
President Tebboune had announced on February 18 that he had dissolved the lower house of parliament to hold early elections, and subsequently granted amnesty for dozens of leading figures of the Hirak movement.
After the elections held in the country on June 12, President Tebboune amnestied 18 prisoners on July 5.
According to the Algerian Union for the Defense of Human Rights, more than 300 activists who participated in the Hirak protests are in prison as of July.
In Algeria, human rights organizations and opposition parties are calling on President Tebboune to release those arrested because of the Hirak protests or their social media posts.
The Hirak protest movement, which brought the end of the 20-year rule of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria, started its demonstrations on February 22, 2019, demanding “radical change in the regime”.
The demonstrations continued after Bouteflika, but due to the pressure exerted by the administration and the COVID-19 pandemic, the protests were terminated in March 2020.
On February 22, which coincided with the second year of the protests, demonstrations resumed in Algeria and many other cities. Weekly demonstrations continue to take place in some areas.
