The family of an Algerian prisoner of conscience who died in prison filed a lawsuit on Wednesday May 4 against the Algerian state for "
manslaughter
" and "
non-assistance to anyone in danger
", announced his lawyers.
To discover
LIVE - War in Ukraine: follow minute by minute the evolution of the conflict
YOUR COMMUNE - The results of the second round of the presidential election in your area
Read also "Dad, what did you do in Algeria?", Family investigation into a silence
Hakim Debbazi, 55, arrested in February for publications on social networks in connection with the pro-democracy movement Hirak, died on April 24 in prison, according to the Algerian League for Human Rights (LADDH).
"
Troubled Circumstances
"
A complaint was filed Wednesday at the Sidi Mhamed court in Algiers by lawyer Heloise Sadeg, maternal aunt of the deceased detainee, claiming "
one billion euros in compensation
" for the family of her nephew, the lawyers said in a statement.
communicated.
Hakim Debbazi was "
found dead in troubled circumstances in Koléa prison
", near Algiers, the defense said.
Heloise Sadeg considers that "
the director of Koléa prison, the general director of prisons, the examining magistrate, the Minister of Justice and the Algerian State
" are "
responsible for this national drama which has moved all of Algeria in the middle of Ramadan
”, explained to AFP Me Tarek Mektoub, one of the family lawyers.
"
Deafening Silence
"
In the press release, the lawyers deplored the "
deafening silence
" of the Ministry of Justice, which "
has still not given an explanation or performed an autopsy to determine the real causes of the death of the political detainee
".
"
Everyone is affected by the complaint, including the investigating judge who imprisoned him
," said Me Mektoub.
The death of Hakim Debbazi has aroused a wave of emotion in Algeria.
Read alsoAlgerian War: the tragedy of the harkis
Before Hakim Debbazi, two prisoners of conscience - Mohamed Tamalt in 2016 and Kamel Eddine Fekhar in 2019 - died in custody.
According to the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees (CNLD), more than 260 people are still imprisoned in Algeria in connection with the Hirak or the defense of individual freedoms.