Fatiha Briki was arrested and her home was searched Thursday, June 17, without knowing the reason for her arrest.
A figure in the struggle for human rights in Algeria, Fatiha Briki, has been in detention since Thursday (June 17) in Algiers, without knowing the reason for her arrest, her family, and the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees said (CNLD ).
Ms. Briki, an academic at the renowned retreat for her commitment to the defense of human rights and against torture, was arrested and her home raided last Thursday, according to the NCCD, a support association for prisoners of opinion which it belongs. Briki’s custody has been extended. But the facts with which he is accused were not disclosed.
“Fatiha Briki is a member of the CNLD, of the Committee against Torture. She is a great lady. I think it is her work in favor of the detainees that are the cause of his arrest, ” Saïd Salhi, vice-president of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH), told AFP. “She is the linchpin in documenting cases of human rights violations. He is accused of the offense of solidarity,” added Mr. Salhi.
The family of Briki – which was illustrated during the war of independence (1956-1962) – was able to visit him that Sunday. “Fatiha is doing well physically and mentally. She has nothing to do in prison! Fatiha Briki must be released immediately!”, Said the family in a statement.
Break the Hirak
The activist regularly participated in the marches of the Hirak protest movement, before their ban by the Interior Ministry in the run-up to legislative elections. The Algerian regime has made efforts in recent months to break down the Hirak, an unprecedented anti-system movement born in February 2019, preventing its demonstrations and increasing arrests and legal proceedings targeting opponents, activists, journalists, and lawyers.
“The arrests continue even after the legislative elections. The authorities want revenge and put an end to the peaceful pro-democracy Hirak,” commented the vice-president of LADDH, adding that an activist from a citizen collective, El Hadi Lassouli, was arrested on Monday evening.
Last Thursday, the academic Abdelali Rezagui, a political analyst known for his interventions in the media, especially on the international news channel France 24, was arrested by the security services in the Algiers region before being released a few hours later, without explanation.
At least 260 people are currently imprisoned for acts related to Hirak and/or individual freedoms, according to the CNLD. More than 80 Algerian and international NGOs recently called on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) about the “repressive escalation” of the Algerian authorities and the “incessant criminalization of fundamental freedoms”.
