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| - A day after his release from prison, a leading figure in Algeria's anti-government protests called Monday for the "Hirak" movement to resume after the coronavirus pandemic. "My freedom will only be complete when other detainees are released," Abdelouahab Fersaoui, 39, told media. "There are still activists in prison. We must stay mobilised," he added, following his release from prison in Algiers on Sunday. Fersaoui, who heads the civic group Youth Action Rally (RAJ), was arrested in October during a demonstration and in April was sentenced to one year in jail for an "attack on the integrity of the national territory". On Sunday a court reduced his sentence to six months, which he had already served. "The release of detainees must not make us forget the main objective of the movement, which is regime change and the construction of a real state based on rule of law and freedom," said Fersaoui. "We haven't yet achieved this objective so we must stay mobilised," said the academic, who was radiant behind a face mask. He then issued an "appointment to all the Algerian people to continue the movement after the virus". Another Hirak activist was freed on Monday after his sentence was suspended the day before. Ibrahim Daouadji had been sentenced to six months in April for inciting protests. Activists and analysts fear Algerian authorities are using the pandemic as a pretext for crushing the Hirak movement, which has shaken the country for over a year. Despite the coronavirus outbreak forcing the popular movement to suspend protests since mid-March, a crackdown has continued against regime opponents and independent media. Some 50 people remain in prison for offences related to the Hirak movement, according to the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees. vid-ad-agr/sc/abh/all/cm/fz
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