“I get my rights, or I die by fire”warned Fouzi Abdelkader Zeghot before carrying out his threat. This former soldier, originally from the town of Frenda, attempted to set himself on fire in front of the headquarters of the Algerian Ministry of Justice on the morning of Sunday June 1.
The images of his action have shaken the whole of Algeria since this weekend, as they recall the case of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, whose death by immolation caused the Arab Spring of 2010. Fouzi was rescued in extremis and transported to Zéralda hospital, where he is currently being treated for serious burns.
The video of Fouzi’s suicide attempt has been viewed and shared hundreds of thousands of times. Originally from the town of Frenda, 340 km west of Algiers, this man runs an association which helps sick people by covering their care and hospitalization costs, we learn in the Point.
“Die rather than degrade myself”
Sentenced at first instance in 2020 to five years in prison, he is accused by the courts of “unauthorized social activities, identity theft and collecting donations without authorization” and accuses him “inciting an unarmed assembly and blocking the public highway, as well as obstructing traffic”. Released on bail and placed under judicial supervision, the man has maintained his innocence for five years.
He finally broke down this Sunday when the judge who convicted him at first instance, according to him, threatened to impose a ten-year prison sentence. Exhausted, Fouzi went to Algiers to send a final message to this magistrate. “You can’t break me. Die rather than degrade myself”he said before dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire, under the gaze of a friend whom he had asked to film it. A judicial investigation was opened by the Algiers public prosecutor’s office to determine the exact circumstances of this act.
This brutal drama once again highlights the excesses of an arbitrary and repressive judicial system, as evidenced by the case of Boualem Sansal. It has already been 200 days since the writer was arrested by the Algerian authorities. Sentenced to five years in prison for endangering state security, the 80-year-old man of letters could end his days in prison.
