More than 250 people are in jail for terrorism charges after Tebboune amended the penal code, redefining “terrorism” to include calls for regime change or challenges to national unity. [Getty]
Algeria’s president Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who also heads the Supreme Judicial Council, has denied allegations of political interference in the judiciary, amid a growing crackdown on dissents and a series of corruption scandals.
Speaking at the inauguration of the judicial year on Monday, 25 November, President Tebboune defended his administration’s record on judicial independence and governance reforms.
“Since the enactment of the new constitution, the judiciary has been strengthened and its independence solidified”, said Tebboune, referring to the 2021 constitution amendment.
The president’s remarks follow mounting criticism from political opposition and civil society groups, who accuse the government of using the justice system to target dissenters and consolidate power.Â
Tebboune rejected these claims, framing his reforms as pivotal to restoring trust in state institutions and rooting out the “Mafia”—a term popularised by Hirak protesters to describe businessmen close to ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
 “We are building a fortified judicial system that operates with the confidence of the people and the institutions of the republic”, said Tebboune.
However, since the start of his presidency, Tebboune has intensified the crackdown on Hirak activists, banning protests and dissolving the oldest independent human rights organisation in the country, LADDH.
More than 250 people are in jail for terrorism charges after Tebboune amended the penal code, redefining “terrorism” to include calls for regime change or challenges to national unity.
Tebboune’s speech also comes amid a spate of corruption cases involving senior officials, including associates of Ali Aoun, the recently dismissed minister of industry.
Aoun was removed in a cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, alongside several ministers, after Tebboune openly criticised the “laziness of some ministers.”
Tebboune was reelected on 14 September in a landslide victory, securing over 80 percent of the vote. Opponents had withdrawn from the race, citing “unfair conditions,” while the strongest critics of his administration have already fled the country, fearing prosecution under the new broad anti-terrorism laws.
Following his reelection, Tebboune promised change and dialogue with opposition parties “to consecrate true democracy.” On 1 November, he granted amnesty to 18 journalists and activists, a gesture some viewed as a potential turning point in his approach to critics.
Still, many dissenters see the reforms as little more than a charade aimed at appeasing Western critics of Algeria’s repressive regime.
“We can’t call this a new beginning, as over 250 political detainees still languish in Algerian prisons”, Ihsane El-Kadi, a journalist released under the amnesty on 1 November, told The New Arab from Algiers.
“The international support for my case embarrassed the state in global forums, but those without such attention remain behind bars,” he added.
