Algeria cracks down on labor unions

The Algerian government, the civilian façade of the military regime, has ordered the prohibition of strikes by all labor unions in the latest blow to civil liberties in the country.

Prime minister Aïmene Benabderrahmane has made public an anti-constitutional decree that bans striking across the public sector and the tiny private sector in the state-dominated and oil-dependent economy.

This came after silencing independent media sending reporters who criticize the regime to jail or forcing them to exile along with opposition leaders.

Algeria has also given harsh sentences to peaceful dissidents, including Hirak leaders and pro-Independence activists in the restive Kabylie region.

The measure was imposed at a context where Algerians continue to queue for rationed basic goods amid a degradation of the purchasing power of civil servants coupled with currency devaluation. These are all triggers that could enflame pro-democracy protests in the footsteps of the Hirak that was silenced after demanding a clean break with military rule.

Fear of a return of mass protests has led Algeria to ban football league matches using the pretext of solidarity with Gaza!