Algerian opponent Slimane Bouhafs, a refugee in Tunisia under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since 2018, was handed over to the Algerian authorities on August 25 by the Tunisian police. Refugee rights organizations are demanding an explanation.
In the name of a Tunisian-Algerian friendship suspected of concealing a tacit exchange of opponents, the Tunisian authorities, led by President Kaïs Saïed, have agreed to sacrifice the status of political refugee granted to Slimane Bouhafs since 2018. It is the Algerian news site L ‘Avant-Garde which revealed the information on August 27th. “Slimane Bouhafs was kidnapped at his home in Tunis, Wednesday, August 25, 2021, between noon and 1 pm, by people in civilian clothes who came aboard a van with a foreign registration,” the newspaper said.
In a second article, L’Avant-Garde affirms that the illegal extradition of Slimane Bouhafs to his country of origin comes within the framework of a secret agreement with the Algerian government. This procedure coincides with the arrest in Algeria of the sulphurous businessman Nabil Karoui, media mogul and president of the Tunisian party Qalb Tounès, who might have served as a bargaining chip.
Wednesday 1st September the Kabyle activist suspected of belonging to the movement for self-determination of Kabylia (MAK), declared a terrorist organization by Algiers, was indeed detained at Kolea prison indicates Algeria 360.
Respect for international commitments
Many NGOs are asking Tunisia to explain itself, reports the Tunisian news site Business News. They are based in particular on the Tunisian constitution, which expressly prohibits the extradition of political refugees. In a joint statement, several associations call on the Tunisian state to “respect its international commitments in this delicate circumstance and to ensure the protection of human rights and the rights of refugees.”
Slimane Bouhafs is president of the coordination of Saint-Augustin des Christians in Algeria and activist for the autonomy of Kabylia where he was born, notes for his part the Espace Manager site which traces his career. Sentenced to three years in prison in 2016 in Algeria, for “attacking Islam and the prophet”, he entered Tunisia legally after his release from prison and enjoys the refugee status granted by the High Commissioner for Refugees.
