Artists launch '#algeriedebout' campaign to support prisoners of conscience

Artists in Algeria launched a campaign in solidarity with the country’s prisoners of conscience. The campaign bears the name #algeriedebout (Algeria is standing up) and calls for supporting and releasing prisoners of conscience.

The campaign came in response to the “Algeria is standing” group, which calls for “the need to participate strongly and urgently to support the cause of prisoners of conscience.”

A number of Algerian artists responded to the campaign, through displaying banners with slogans, such as “We are all prisoners of conscience, release prisoners of conscience”, “I am a prisoner of conscience” and “Today it‘s him, tomorrow it would be you”, via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The banners displayed several names of prisoners of conscience, including journalists, politicians, activists and citizens, who were arrested during the widespread unrest in Algeria.

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Among the participants in the campaign were Amal Zen, Hamidou, Adila ben Demrad, Hayat Zarrouk, Karim Abranis, and other artists.

The artist Amal Zen raised a sign with the names of Yasmine Dahmani and Samira Masoussi, demanding their release, while Hamidou carried a banner reading “Freedom for the prisoners of conscience” in Arabic, Amazigh and French, in addition to “I support the liberation of all prisoners of conscience”, “I am with a free and democratic beautiful, diverse and fraternal Algeria, always standing up.”