The Algerian police arrested dozens of journalists, bloggers and human rights activists as they staged a sit-in on Saturday near the University of Algiers. The protest was held against the plan by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to stand for a fourth term in office and was part of an online campaign against the elderly president and military rule. “Fifteen years are enough!” proclaimed the protesters’ banners and slogans.
The police formed a tight security cordon around the demonstration and arrested those protesters, including journalists, who spoke to the local and international media.
The Algerian government passed a special law in 2001 prohibiting demonstrations in Algiers following the famous pro-Amazigh march that left four people dead and hundreds wounded.