Women defy repression by showing solidarity with Abla Guemari
Special Correspondence
On September 27, police forces arrested Abla Guemari at her workplace. While she was under judicial supervision, accused of “glorifying terrorism,” she released new videos denouncing the police and judicial harassment she is facing. In response to the release of this video, the investigating judge of the Touggourt court ordered her arrest and incarceration in the local detention center.
Yesterday, October 2, many women took to the streets in the city of Touggourt to express their solidarity with the one known as “the brave girl from the desert.” (See video 1)
The glorification of terrorism she is accused of by the Algerian justice system is, in reality, her denunciation of the situation in which the populations of the south of the country are struggling. This region, which feeds Algeria with its oil, gas, and iron and gold ores, paradoxically remains the poorest area of the country. (See video 2)
It is worth noting that activist Abla Guemari was arrested along with four other activists near a conference hall where a meeting was being held in support of candidate Abdelaziz Belaid during the December 2019 electoral campaign. After several hours of detention, the activist emerged from the police station and made serious statements. She claimed to have been assaulted and mistreated by the police in their premises, stating that she was slapped by an officer.
Even more seriously, she claimed in a video posted on social media that she was insulted and subjected to “humiliating” acts, the nature of which she did not dare to reveal. “I am a victim of immoral excesses by the police, excesses whose nature I do not dare to publicly specify,” she stated.
At the end of her intervention, the activist thanked everyone who mobilized for her. She also committed to continuing the Hirak.
For the record, Abla Guemari is an emblematic figure of the Hirak movement in the city of Touggourt, and indeed throughout the southern region of the country. She regularly leads protests against the government and elections in her area.
Vidéo 1 :
Vidéo 2 :
