Prominent Algerian opposition figure arrested again

Algerian political opponent and figure of the pro-democracy Hirak movement, Karim Tabbou, was arrested Tuesday evening at his home and placed in police custody, his family and several local media announced.

Tabbou was one of the most-recognisable faces during unprecedented mass rallies, led by the Hirak pro-democracy movement, that began in February 2019.

The supporters demanded a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system in place since the North African country gained independence from France in 1962.

Mr. Tabbou had been convicted in March 2020 and served a one-year prison sentence for "undermining national security", due to a video on his party's Facebook account where he criticised the army's interference in political affairs.

Last year Karim Tabbou was released after spending one year in prison in the wake of posting critical comments in social media in 2020 about the implication of the army in national politics.

According to the CNLD (National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees), dozens of people linked to the Hirak or the defence of individual freedoms are still imprisoned in Algeria.