This is a first in Algeria. Cornered by public opinion in shock and the media coverage of the case, including internationally, the Algerian prosecution opened a preliminary investigation on February 7 into “acts of violence” and “sexual assault” committed by “judicial police officers in charge of the preliminary investigation”.
The case dates back to 1is February. During the trial of the student Walid Nekiche, 25, arrested during a hirak demonstration in Algiers in November 2019 and accused, among other things, of “conspiracy against the state”, the young activist’s lawyers denounce “acts of torture “and evoke” police reports which are made on the basis of confessions extracted after torture “, had declared Me Nabila Smail. His lawyers then filed a complaint, detailing that their client, while in police custody, “was stripped, [qu’]we sprayed it with dirty water, and [qu’il] was raped with a broomstick ”.
Heavy loads
The young man testifies on Young Africa that he was interrogated and tortured, in two Algiers police stations and at the Antar barracks, an antenna of the military intelligence services, from November 26 to December 2. During this period, his family did not hear from him; it was forbidden to call them.
The diary found on him, the photos of the demonstrations on his smartphone, his WhatsApp communications with a “friend”, a Spanish diplomat, and his follow-up to a Facebook page of the MAK (Movement for the autonomy of Kabylia) are sufficient for the services. security to accuse him of “undermining security and national unity”, “distribution and possession of leaflets to undermine the interest of the country”, and “participation in a conspiracy to incite citizens to take up arms against the authority of the state and organize a secret way of remote communications with the aim of undermining national security ”.
“He was shot”
Accusations widely taken up by conservative media to promote, followers of the theories of the “conspiracy” and the “foreign hand”, who do not hesitate to press the young student in fishing and aquaculture. “They say he appealed to citizens to take up arms. The exhibits were requested. An expertise was made on his cell phones, they found no message, no publication. This is the first time in my life that I see an empty file in front of the criminal ”, protests in the media one of his lawyers. “According to testimonies from prisoners of conscience who were in the same prison, he arrived in a terrible state. This is what I saw on my first visit. He was shot “, told El Watan Leila Djerdjar.
After four months of preventive detention in a prison in the east of Algiers, Walid Nekiche is presented to an examining magistrate before whom he claims to have suffered abuse during his custody. But the magistrate does not react, and the student returns to prison.
Complaint from lawyers
It was not until eleven months later that he appeared in court on 1is February, and sees the prosecutor requesting … life imprisonment. To the shock of this indictment are added the statements of the collective of the defense which revealed to the public opinion the mistreatment of which Walid was victim. The lawyers, who had already demanded, in vain, a medical expertise in recent months, lodge a complaint for “torture”, reminding the magistrates who sit that article 110 bis of the Algerian Penal Code punishes, from six months to three years of prison, “any official or agent who exercises or orders the exercise of torture in order to obtain a confession”.
At the end of the trial of this 1is February, Walid Nekiche was finally sentenced to one year in prison, six months of which was closed, and released. “His release was greeted with great relief across Algeria, but what was heard during his trial in the Algiers criminal court shocked even beyond the country’s borders,” comments the news site. Everything about Algeria. It is the entire Algerian state which is called upon to ensure that the acts revealed at the hearing do not happen again. ”
This case is reminiscent of another when, in April 2019, young activists, arrested during a hirak march, accused the police of having “mistreated” them by “stripping them” while in police custody. Charges denied by the police who spoke of a simple “body search”. A complaint was filed at the time against several police officials. No action for the moment.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
