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He was arrested on February 20 in Hadjout, a small town in the coastal region of Tipaza, 70 kilometers west of Algiers. Involved in the Hirak protest movement and considered a prisoner of conscience, Hakim Debbazi died in prison on Sunday April 24, of a cause for the moment unknown. He was 55 years old and a father of three children.
According to several sources, the activist was being prosecuted for posts on Facebook. His account, still active on the social network, shows that he had notably relayed pro-Hirak pages and videos produced by Algerians living abroad.
After his arrest, Hakim Debbazi “had been placed under a warrant of committal on February 22 and had been in pre-trial detention in Koléa prison (Tipaza) since that date”, informed the World Mand Tarek Merah, lawyer at the bar of Algiers, denouncing “political pursuits”.
Monday, April 25, the Algerian League for Human Rights (LADDH) demanded the opening of a judicial inquiry and revealed that a request for provisional release “introduced because of his already worrying state of health” had been dismissed by the court.
“How did we get here? Die in prison for a publication or an opinion! The new Algeria of change promised by the government is a deception which once again lays itself bare, it is worse than the Algeria of [l’ancien président Abdelazziz] Bouteflika driven out by the Hirak »reacted Saïd Salhi, vice-president of the LADDH on his Facebook page.
“A real screed of lead”
Just over 300 prisoners of conscience are currently in Algerian prisons, according to human rights associations, which are struggling to confirm this figure. They have been calling for several years, without success, for the setting up of inspection commissions in penitentiary establishments, in order to inquire about the conditions of detention.
“Today, many testimonies from detainees report prison overcrowding, poor care and ill-treatment. We have even had cases of torture and the investigations are unsuccessful”explains Saïd Salhi who mentions “a real screed of lead” around prisoners of conscience and their families. Regarding Hakim Debbazi, “there are allegations that he died before [la date du 24 avril]. We want the whole truth about the circumstances of his death, adds the activist. We demand that the public prosecutor’s office react and inform the public opinion”.
According to Mand Tarek Merah, none of the lawyers who were members of the collective of prisoners of conscience followed the file of the deceased. In a context of increased repression, some families prefer to remain discreet about legal proceedings relating to freedom of expression that affect their relatives, so as not to link them to the Hirak. ” They think it will allow a little leniency from the judicial authorities”deplores Said Salhi.
“No one has been informed of his arrest for this reason, abounds Mand Meriem Chekirine, member of the collective which follows dozens of cases in several wilayas of the country. He is not the only one. There are many people concerned by justice after publications on Facebook whose cases we do not know “.