[ad_1]
Security forces arrested 41 people during angry demonstrations that shook the Algerian capital against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in trouble, while waiting for a fifth term, authorities said Saturday.
Police fired tear gas on Friday afternoon to block a protest march against the presidential palace, prompting protesters to throw stones in response.
The National Security Directorate announced Saturday that it has arrested 41 people for "disturbing public order, vandalism, property damage, violence and badault".
Despite the arrests, the authorities largely tolerated demonstrations in the country, even in the capital, where they had been strictly prohibited since 2001.
The police did not give an estimate of the number of protesters, but a security official spoke on condition of anonymity told the AFP news agency. that nearly 20,000 people had demonstrated throughout the country, including a quarter in Algiers.
According to the official, 38 arrests were made in the capital and no security personnel were injured.
Activists used social media to call for national protests against Bouteflika on Friday after weekly Muslim prayers.
Aged 81, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since his stroke in 2013, he announced on Feb. 10 that he would run for a new term in the presidential election. # 39; in April.
 |
| Police used tear gas to disperse crowds as protesters protested President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's plans to run for a fifth term in Algiers on February 22 [Ramzi Boudina/Reuters] |
[ad_2]
Source link
