Kabyle activists will begin a 200-kilometer march tomorrow from Montreal to the Canadian parliament.

“This march is to demand the release of our detainees unjustly incarcerated by the Algerian state”, says Malika Absi, one of the organizers.

The Kabyles in Algeria are part of the larger Amazigh family, or Berbers, who are the indigenous people of North Africa. They have their own language and culture, and some are campaigning for the creation of an independent state. This is considered illegal in Algeria.

Last week, a Radio-Canada report revealed that a young Kabyle named Massinissa Lakehal had been imprisoned by Algerian authorities primarily to punish his father, Ammar, a Canadian citizen who had long been active in the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia.

Massinissa’s brother, Syphax Lakehal, will be one of the marchers.

The Algerian authorities have not responded to our requests for comments on Massinissa’s imprisonment.

According to amendments made by Algeria to its Penal Code in 2021, “any act targeting state security, national unity and the stability and normal functioning of institutions is considered a terrorist act or sabotage.”

Amnesty International has often denounced the vague nature of this definition, which, according to the organization, aims to silence peaceful dissent.

The post Montréal-Ottawa: a march for the release of political prisoners in Algeria appeared first in Radio-Canada, in French version. Here’s its link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2105709/algerie-marche-liberation-detenus-kabyle