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On February 19, 2022, Lazhar Zouaïmia is preparing to return to Canada, his host country and the place he has considered home for nearly 20 years, after a stay in Algeria, during which he visited his family. Little did he know, at that moment, that he would soon become a symbol of the repression of the Algerian regime.
As the fifth anniversary of Hirak approaches, the pro-democracy movement that took over the streets of Algeria in February 2019, La Converse publishes an audio documentary that looks back on this key moment in the country's history through the experience of Lazhar Zouaïmia. This Canadian of Algerian origin was imprisoned on February 19, 2022, after a stay in his country of origin, for his online activities.
The last trip
Lazhar Zouaïmia has lived in the suburbs of Montreal with his family for several years, but still maintains a strong link with Algeria, the country where he was born and where part of his family still lives. He made the “heartbreaking” choice to leave Algeria in 2003, disillusioned with the first years of the presidency of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. “I knew that it was not going to succeed. There was no intention of the authorities to do anything [with the country],” he explains.
He therefore chose to immigrate to Quebec, a French-speaking country with “opportunities”, he said. After some time spent at the bedside of his daughter, who was then a newborn, he got a job at Hydro-Québec as a technician, a position he still holds today.
In February 2022, Lazhar is preparing to return to Algeria. “There was a tragic event at home: the death of my child,” Lazhar tells the microphone of La Converse, recalling his son, Mehdi. “I wanted to go visit my family, recharge my batteries, and share my mourning.”
Lazhar therefore spent three weeks with his family, near Annaba, an eastern coastal city, near the Tunisian border. He also stayed a little further south, in Ghardaïa, at the gateway to the Sahara. “I saw places that I did not know before,” he said. It made me feel good.”
On February 19, departure time is on. Lazhar crossed the 100 kilometers that separate him from Constantine airport to take his flight to Algiers in the morning. From there, he must then take a plane to Montreal.
“I went to the counter to get my boarding pass,” he says. There was a guy who was standing [...]. He was looking at me. It was a bit odd.” He then understood that something was about to happen.
When Lazhar gets his boarding pass, the man speaks. “He said to me, “Are you Lazhar Zouaïmia? “Yes.” “You're coming with us.”” Lazhar then follows him, and then begins an interview lasting several hours.
“I was stressed out anyway, but I was hoping that it would end, [that] I would take my plane to Algiers.” But the more time passed, the more the hope dwindled. When boarding time arrives and passes, anxiety sets in for good at Lazhar. His phone and tablet were confiscated, and the questions multiplied.
“My spouse called me because, in principle, I should have been in Algiers. [...] She said to me, “I am worried.” I said, “Now you're worried for good. I'm with the security services.”” Hours later, Lazhar was redirected outside the airport. The following night, he will spend her in custody.
“It was my first night, my first experience in the cell. Without light, with bars, like the ones you see in the movies.”
The Hirak, the turning point
To understand Lazhar's imprisonment at that time, you have to go back three years earlier, in 2019. In the run-up to the presidential elections, which were supposed to take place in April, the Algerian authorities announced in February that Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who had been president since 1999, would seek a fifth term at the head of the country.
Indignation is strong, anger is breaking out. Among other things, the population denounces the fact that Bouteflika has been absent from the public sphere since at least 2018. In fact, his appearances gradually declined beginning in 2013 due to serious health problems. Within a few days, citizens took to the streets to challenge the news. These demonstrations were echoed in the four corners of Algeria, first in Kherrata, in Kabylia, on February 16, before spreading to Algiers on February 22. This first monster demonstration marks the start of the Hirak.
Therefore, every Friday, the appointment is renewed. Everywhere in Algeria, the population goes out and affirms their hope for democracy. This unprecedented movement has grown and reached the diaspora, especially here in Canada.
“It's as if the [Algerian] people were in a coma and woke up,” said Lazhar Zouaïmia. He woke up to say no.” No to the continuity of Bouteflika's rule, of course, but above all, no to corruption and the prolonged grip of the army on the state. “People were hopeful that this would change.”
In Montreal, weekly gatherings, mirrors of those organized thousands of kilometers away, are held in front of the Consulate General of Algeria in Montreal. Lazhar is a part of the movement. A long-time member of Amnesty International, he participates in online forums and protests in support of democracy in his home country.
According to him, it was this involvement in the movement that earned him his imprisonment. Lazhar is far from being the only Hirak activist to have spent time in prison. “After 10 days [in prison], I was taken back to a special wing. It's for active or passive terrorists; people from Facebook, Hirak and others, terrorists from the Black Decade.”
Far from his loved ones, he therefore found himself imprisoned with terrorists for openly expressing his pro-democratic opinions. “It leaves a lasting impression. You lose weight, or you come out with an illness.”
Repression, a constant in modern Algeria
The case of Lazhar belongs to a long and sad tradition of repression against the various Algerian regimes. “Immediately after independence, we are already beginning to have political authoritarianism taking hold and the state's repressive capacities improving,” explains Francesco Cavatorta, professor of political science at Laval University.
The researcher, who has studied the Maghreb for a long time, points out that in the wake of Algerian independence, the National Liberation Front (FLN) quickly assumed the role of single party at the head of the country. For some thirty years, living conditions in Algeria improved: under the presidency of Houari Boumediène in particular, the country invested heavily in education and health, propelled by a thriving economy that depends on hydrocarbons.
At the turn of the 1980s, however, Algeria was hit hard by an economic crisis due to the sudden drop in oil prices. “We are in fact realizing that the old economic system no longer works”, illustrates Mr. Cavatorta.
Reforms followed, but dissatisfaction was growing among the population. An attempt at democratization was then attempted by the FLN, which opened the doors to multi-party politics in 1989. But after the early victory of the Islamic Salvation Front, which advocates the creation of an Islamic State in Algeria, in the country's first democratic elections in December 1991, the government panicked.
In January 1992, the army took control of the country and cancelled the elections: the black decade then broke out, marked by the civil war, which pitted the Algerian army against Islamist terrorists, in 1992. Ten years of terror punctuated by bloody clashes, during which Islamist soldiers and armed forces officially clash. Ten years of terrorism that will force a large number of Algerians to leave their country in the hope of finding a better life elsewhere.
For a long time, the dark decade will remain a “trauma” for the Algerian people, explains Mr. Cavatorta. Thus, when the Hirak breaks out in 2019, the population sees an opportunity to finally establish a democracy that respects their will. “It is becoming a bit like the moment when Algerian society rediscovers the streets, rediscovers the demonstrations, asks for something different,” illustrates the expert.
However, the arrival of COVID-19 is holding back the movement. Quickly, health measures became a way for the Algerian regime to stifle protests, and at the same time, Hirak activists. Little by little, a new era of repression is beginning.
“The regime targeted certain people, certain characters, certain characters, certain journalists, certain activists much more directly.” Targeting certain nationals, such as Canadians of Algerian origin, is not trivial: this method fits perfectly into the regime's strategy, according to the professor.
“This indicates quite clearly the will of the regime, that is to say: “You are expatriates, you are no longer there. Don't stick your nose into what's no longer relevant to you,” in a way.”
Lazhar is not the only Canadian to have spent time behind bars during a trip to Algeria: Hadjira Belkacem, a childcare home educator in Montreal, was also turned back at the airport when she took her flight back to Canada in 2022. More recently, the case of researcher Raouf Farrah, arrested in February 2023 and held in prison for over eight months, has also garnered a lot of attention in the local media.
For Mr. Cavatorta, these cases have become a bit of an example of what can happen to nationals whose opinions the authorities dislike. “The consequence is to make people think two or three times rather than once when they want to run political campaigns and push for change in the country from outside. As you can see, being outside doesn't necessarily protect — and doesn't protect the family that's going to stay behind.”
According to Lazhar, however, giving up is not an option. “Repression leads to nothing,” he summarizes. It is not a solution, to repress people. A lot of people have gone out and are still talking, even in Algeria. [...] There is a side of some [people] that reconnects a bit with the culture of resistance. There's that heritage; people don't like the Hogra*, as they say. It affects them, and they say, “I'm talking now.””
Unwavering support
In Quebec too, people spoke out when Lazhar was in prison. “Fortunately, here [in Quebec], there was a great mobilization. I heard about it, even in prison.” His entourage is gradually getting organized, and he is getting the support of numerous institutions, such as the Champlain Syndicate (teaching staff) as well as the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents him within Hydro-Québec.
Amnesty International is also organizing a support campaign and is mobilizing to send him letters of solidarity. Jules Béliveau, a former neighbor and retired journalist, took the trouble to write him a letter that was decisive in the fight for his release.
As part of this report, La Converse brought the two men together in order to hear their thoughts on the events of 2022, a year and a half after the fact.
When Jules Béliveau reflects on his first memories of Lazhar, it is with a smile and immense respect. “When I knew it, I admit that both arms fell on me,” he confides. My neighbor, Lazhar, who was imprisoned in Algeria! He who loved his country of origin so much, to be imprisoned there! It was extremely troubling.”
He then decided to write down his thoughts on paper for his friend. His letter was one of several letters sent to Algeria as a sign of solidarity with Lazhar. “Writing a letter is not very difficult after all. To say who Lazhar was for me is not difficult. The quantity of letters that can arrive in the office of a political leader is significant.”
“Any testimony, any action, whatever it may be, is important,” agrees Lazhar for his part. [But] his testimony still has a lot of weight. That's not a drop, right! It's not a drop! Then, turning to Mr. Béliveau: “Your testimony has weight in my own context.”
Rapidly, these letters multiply. They are providing him with significant psychological support, and they are also increasing the pressure on the government to release him. After 40 days of detention, at the end of March 2022, he finally returned to the judge. A surprise awaits him when he returns to his cell.
“After a few minutes, prison staff came to my cell. They told me, “Arrange your stuff.” I did not understand. I had just returned, how was I going to arrange [my things]? They said to me: “No, you're leaving!” ” That's when he understands what's going on: the judge grants him temporary release. He therefore manages to return to his loved ones, hundreds of kilometers away, near Annaba.
A bitter return, a new mission
Even though he is now on temporary release, Lazhar's woes are not over. His first two attempts to leave the country, in April, failed: they refused to let him leave the country, with endless detentions just before boarding his flight. A few weeks later, he tried his luck a third time. The same scenario is repeated: he is detained just before boarding, but this time something changes.
“After a while, even the plane's takeoff is delayed,” he said. And then, they give me my passport back.” He then avoids asking questions to the agents in front of him, wanting to avoid additional problems. He picked up his luggage and hurried to the boarding gate.
“I was running, practically. I was the last one [to board]. I had lost my belt, I was holding my pants on one side, and my bag on the other! he relates with a chuckle. And then I went up. I took a photo, sent it to my spouse, showing me being on the plane.”
In Montreal, the return was joyful and full of relief. Youyous sound at Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport. Lazhar arrives and hugs his wife. “Thank you everyone! Thank you, thank you”, we hear him say to the small crowd gathered to welcome him.
Lazhar is a free man again. At least as long as he does not return to Algeria. In October 2022, nearly six months after his return to Quebec, Algerian justice sentenced him in absentia to five years in prison, thus preventing him from returning to his country of origin without risking prison again, but this time for many years.
After living through hell in prison, Lazhar is still hopeful. He will make his experience a strength and a mission upon his return to Quebec. Since then, he has been busy telling his story, to highlight issues related to human rights.
The Converse accompanied him at a conference organized by Amnesty International. Lazhar spoke in front of dozens of young people at Collège Lionel-Groulx, on Montreal's North Shore.
“The fight for human rights always requires commitment,” he explains on his way to the establishment. It became vital for me, especially since I went through it. It is not theoretical, it is not a distant case. I went through it. So I would like people, through my case, to know other cases.”
This is not the first conference Lazhar has given. He has told his story more than once, in the media, but also with young people. Since his return, he has become familiar with the big rooms, the public, and the exchanges that result from them.
“It's as if it's not the first story I've heard like this, reacts Laurence, a student present at the Lazhar conference. I actually think it's a shame. It's as if we were used to it, and we shouldn't have to. Stories like this should continue to affect us, to make us sensitive and to continue to be disappointed in the system.”
Every action is important. Every story has its lesson. For Lazhar Zouaïmia, telling her story is a duty. And his story is also that of Algeria, and his wishes for its future. “Algeria is a country, it's our country, it's the people. We spent time there, we were born, we have our ancestors, we have a history [there]. We want it to be like in other democratic countries.”
Its history thus brings hope for a new, renewed Algeria, which bears witness to a rich heritage in all its nuances and which lets its people decide their future. “The first thing is for people to have their basic rights, [...] for people to have their basic rights, [...] that people have the right to speak. People have the right to all rights: demonstrate, meet, express themselves, the right of journalists to ask questions, the right to have fair justice... That doesn't require budgets, it requires a will.”
*Arabic word meaning “injustice, contempt, humiliation in the face of oppression.”