After the arrest in Algeria of Nabil Karoui, opponent and ex-candidate in the Tunisian presidential election, it is the turn of Slimane Bouhafs, an Algerian opponent to be arrested in Tunisia. The main human rights NGOs in the country are moved by this arrest which took place last week.
He had disappeared on August 25, in Tunis, under troubling circumstances. Taken by men who did not disclose their identity, Slimane Bouhafs, an Algerian refugee, had not given any sign of life until the media revealed that he was now in Algeria.
Already sentenced in 2016 for publications deemed offensive to Islam and the prophet, the activist converted to Christianity served nearly two years in prison in his country before seeking asylum in Tunisia.
NGOs are outraged
Placed under the protection of the UNHCR (High Commissioner for Refugees) since, the activist close to a Kabyle independence movement – considered terrorist in Algeria – could be brought to justice soon, according to the Algerian League for the Defense of the Rights of the man.
Many Tunisian NGOs have been moved by this case and have asked Tunis to respect its international commitments in favor of the protection of the refugees who are on its soil.
A case that then occurs the day after the arrest of the former Tunisian presidential candidate, Nabil Karoui in Algeria. Tunisian media report a possible “exchange” between the Tunisian and Algerian authorities after the announcement of the arrest in Algeria of Nabil Karoui, leader of a liberal party and ex-candidate for the 2019 presidential election in Tunisia.
