Senior Algeria Islamist denied admission to hospital

Ali Belhadj, a senior leader of the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front, was denied admission to Mustafa Pacha Hospital for a medical examination, Arabi21.com reported on Friday.

In a recorded speech posted on YouTube, Belhadj shared he was going to the hospital for medical examinations, but security stopped him.

He continued: “They asked me to go to another hospital. I told them: ‘No one can prevent my admission to the hospital or the doctor I want…’ After a fierce conversation, I was not allowed to proceed, so I returned home without any medical examination.”

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Belhadj recounted the dire situation of freedoms in “the new Algeria” and how Algerians are being lost in the middle of the “failure of the new rulers.”

He addressed the plight of the patients and people experiencing poverty in light of the severe economic conditions and high summer temperatures.

The influential Islamic leader questioned the mission of the security personnel, asking: “Is their mission to also ask the doctors about the disease I needed treatment for? All of these things are considered violations of human rights.”

Belhadj warned the Algerian government of the “consequences of oppression” and also severely criticised the weak stance of the Arab and Muslim countries on the issue of burning the Holy Quran in Sweden.

He condemned the weak support for Palestinians but considered any support for Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas as “support for assistance for the occupation,” referring to recent aid offered to the PA.

Belhadj is the deputy leader of the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front, which won free elections in 1992 when the army interfered to prevent it from taking up power. The army then banned it before starting a smear campaign against all Islamists, including mass detentions, killings and explosions.

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