May 9, 2021 - World

Algeria restricts street protests

Ivana Saric

Algerians shout slogans during an anti-government demonstration in the capital Algiers on May 7, 2021. Photo: Ryad Kramdi/AFP via Getty Images

The Algerian government announced Sunday that it would ban any protests that do not have prior approval, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: The move is intended to limit the weekly mass protests of Algeria's Hirak movement, which resumed in February after a nearly year-long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.

State of play: The Hirak movement for governmental change began in 2019 and successfully ousted then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019.

The protests then continued demanding the "departure of the entire ruling elite, an end to corruption and for the army to quit politics," per Reuters.

The big picture: All protests will now require an approved permit outlining the date and times of the protests as well as the names of the event's organizers, per Reuters.

This poses a particular problem for the Hirak movement, which has until now been a leaderless movement.

Of note: Amnesty International released a statement Friday condemning the Algerian authorities' use of force against protestors and its jailing of more than 60 Hirak activists "continue to languish in prison for their role in the demonstrations."

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Algeria restricts street protests

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