FRANCE Communiqué of the Independent Democratic Workers Party (POID)

A delegation of activists of all tendencies of the workers’ and democratic movement, at the initiative of the POID, will gather on Monday 30 September near the Algerian Embassy in Paris (meeting at 6 p.m. sharp) at the corner of Rue de Messine and Avenue de Messine, metro Courcelles or Monceau), after which they will take to the Algerian authorities their demand for the immediate release from prison of Louisa Hanoune. 

On 25 September, the Blida Military Court in Algeria sentenced Louisa Hanoune, the general secretary of the Workers Party (PT) of Algeria, to 15 years in prison. 

Louisa Hanoune, who has been detained since 9 May, was on trial as part of the case involving the former president’s brother, Said Bouteflika, and Generals Toufik and Tartag. The four defendants were charged with « conspiracy against the State ». 

The Independent Democratic Workers Party (POID) condemns this decision of the military court, and demands –as it is has done since 9 May– the immediate release of Louisa Hanoune and all prisoners of conscience in Algeria. 

For its part, the POID has never concealed its disagreement with the political orientation of Louisa Hanoune and her party. This disagreement was only reinforced after 22 February 2019. Having said that, for the POID there is no justification for a leader of a political party, especially a party claiming to represent workers, to be targeted by the very repression that has been unleashed by the Algerian regime against activists, demonstrators, lawyers, trade unionists, and young people under the most diverse pretexts. 

It is up to the Algerian workers and people, and to them alone, to decide which parties represent them and which parties do not do not represent them. It’s not up to the military courts or generals. 

That is why, the Independent Democratic Workers Party reaffirms the position it adopted on 9 May – a position that it has reiterated publicly on numerous occasions: Release immediately Louisa Hanoune and all political prisoners in Algeria! 

The POID takes the initiative to set up a delegation of worker militants of all political currents and backgrounds, who will go to the Algerian Embassy in Paris to inform the Algerian authorities of its demand for the release of Louisa Hanoune and all political prisoners.(1) 

Montreuil, 25 September 2019 at 6 p.m 

(1) The POID reaffirms the traditional position of principle in the workers’ movement, which is unconditional solidarity with any militant worker who is a victim of repression -solidarity that cannot be conditioned, therefore, by agreement with his or her political positions. This was not the case, however, either at the rally organised in Paris on 20 June, or at the rally on 5 September in Lyon, whose organisers banned from the rallies the POID activists who came to support the demand the release from prison of Louisa Hanoune. These rally organisers used methods foreign to the labour movement, on the pretext in both cases that the POID was in political disagreement with Louisa Hanoune and her party