Amnesty International said “worryWednesday, May 18 regarding the state of health of an activist in pre-trial detention in Algeria for 11 months and who has led two hunger strikes, the human rights organization asking for his release.
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According to Amnesty, El Hadi Lassouli is a farmer and civil society activist who created in 2021 with other activists the support and assistance committee for the families of detainees. He was arrested on June 21, 2021, but the NGO does not specify the charges against him. The state of health of this fifty-year-oldseriously degraded, putting his life at risk, according to his family and lawyers“, writes the NGO in a press release.
“Activist El Hadi Lassouli must be released pending trialasked Hassina Oussedik, director of Amnesty International Algeria, quoted in the press release. Hassina Oussedik also called “to an in-depth reform of the legislation (…) in order to reduce the misuse of pre-trial detention“.
Another detainee of conscience who died
On April 24, a detainee of conscience, Hakim Debbazi, died while he was in pre-trial detention, according to the Algerian League for Human Rights (LADDH). He was arrested in February for social media posts related to the pro-democracy movement Hirak. On Tuesday, the Algerian Minister of Justice, Abderrachid Tabi, affirmed before the deputies that this detainee had died in the hospital of “natural causes», «after falling ill“, thus rejecting any accusation of ill-treatment.
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Debbazi’s family filed a lawsuit against the state in early May for “manslaughter” and “no assistance to the person in danger», Claiming a billion euros in compensation. According to the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees (CNLD), more than 260 people are still imprisoned in Algeria in connection with the Hirak protest movement or the defense of individual freedoms.