Algerian protesters march with a giant national flag to keep up the pressure on the North African state's ruling. AFP
Algerian protesters march with a giant national flag to keep up the pressure on the North African state's ruling. AFP
Algerian protesters march with a giant national flag to keep up the pressure on the North African state's ruling. AFP
Algerian protesters march with a giant national flag to keep up the pressure on the North African state's ruling. AFP

Hundreds turn out for funeral of activist who died in detention


  • English
  • Arabic

Thousands turned out on Saturday in Algeria for the funeral of prominent human rights activist Kamel Eddine Fakhar whose death in custody sparked an investigation into police handling of detainees.

The 54-year-old doctor was a leading advocate for the Berber-speaking Mozabite minority.

He was buried in the El Alia cemetery in the capital Algiers, where people gathered by his coffin and a portrait of the activist.

Fekhar died in the Blida hospital south of Algiers after being transferred there "in a comatose state", his lawyer Salah Dabouz said last Tuesday.

The activist had been on hunger strike since late March, his lawyer said, when he was arrested for "attacks on institutions".

The Justice Ministry said on Wednesday that it had ordered an investigation into the circumstances of Fekhar's death, following criticism from Algerian and international rights groups.

On Friday, protesters rallying against the country's ruling elite held a minute's silence for the activist before breaking into chants blaming the authorities for his death.

Fekhar's lawyer said his client had been held in Ghardaia, 480 kilometres south of Algiers, for weeks "in inhumane conditions".

The activist was first arrested in 2015 during unrest in the M'zab valley, where Ghardaia is the largest city, between the country's Mozabite community and Chaamba Arabs.

After serving two years in prison for public order offences, he was released in July 2017.

Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.

The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.

The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.

The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.