Judges' strike in Algeria .. War on corruption or politicization of justice?

Abdelhakim Hazaqa-to Algeria

For the first time in the history of independent Algeria, citizens woke up to completely paralyzed courts and tribunals against the backdrop of a sudden decision by the syndicate of judges to suspend work, in protest at a transfer that touched nearly 3,000 judges three days ago, which the Ministry of Justice described as part of the fight against corruption.

The union demanded a freeze on this annual movement, saying October 24th is "a black day in the history of the judiciary, which perpetuates the dominance of the executive branch over the wheels of power in Algeria."

Judges today boycotted all hearings, with cases adjourned before courts, councils, the Supreme Court and the State Council, including those in deliberation, except for urgent files.

The judges also refrained from signing nationality certificates, the case law and various other orders, until their social and professional demands were met. The union announced that the response rate of the boycott on its first day has reached 96%.

However, the Ministry of Justice considered the strike illegal, and said in a statement that the Basic Law prohibits the judge from taking any action that would stop or obstruct judicial work.

"The lifting of this arbitrary ban is at the heart of the union's requests, because its purpose is to silence the protector of rights and freedoms," said a judge, who declined to be named.

Many observers and webmasters link the confrontation chapters between the judges and the guardian ministry to the political situation in the country and the raging electoral context, expressing fears that justice may be thrown into the political struggle for power.

Court paralysis
In a field tour to the courts of the capital, Al Jazeera Net stood on the complete paralysis of judicial work, where litigants and their families, accompanied by lawyers, stood in the form of groups awaiting the moment of détente unsuccessfully.

In an interview with Ms. "Ahmed" in the lobby of the Aban Ramadan court, she expressed outrage at the strike movement, and spoke with passion and longing for her son, who was detained for six months without trial, after she had hoped for his release this time.

For his part, the university student "Faisal M." condemned the failure to sign a nationality certificate in his favor, which means delayed issuance of his passport, and then miss the opportunity of a scholarship abroad.

In the Boumerdes district council (50 km east of the capital), young unemployed "Amkrane" expressed deep concern at the protest, and told us that his case law is pending, which could deprive him of a public employment competition.

Support and question
Judges' strike has generated widespread reactions on social media. Ramadan wrote with a pause about the event that "it is a historic and decisive day in the path of the judiciary, a turning point towards the independence of the judiciary after the judge feels that he is sheltering in a union instead of the executive."

"The element of fear and a sense of guardianship over the judiciary has been eliminated. It is a step towards achieving the most important pillars of the modern state."

However, activist Abdel Wahab Geagea questioned the motives of the protest, and asked on his Facebook page "Can judges have all this revolutionary just ordinary transfers applied to all state employees ?!"

"They were those who did not reject or denounce anything, socially, politically, or professionally, not in the 1990s coup and tyranny, or in the era of Bouteflika corruption.

Political shadows
In reading the background of the judges' strike, lawyer and analyst Fateh Monkey stressed that "the protest movement cannot be separated from the popular movement in the country, which has destabilized the fragile balance between the components of power and the active forces in the system of government, thus giving the opportunity to sensitive professional sectors of the revolution on the pressure they have been under Of Bouteflika's rule, including the judiciary. "

Fatih explained in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "the judges raised social demands involving other state employees, and other professional accuse the Ministry of Justice to draw the features of the movement of judges, and the role of the Supreme Council only to formalities."

He added that those demands "hide behind a state of political protest and rejection of the interference of the executive branch in the work of judges, which is highlighted by the slogan of Justice phone chanted by judges in the activities of the protest."

Analyst Fatih considered this a sign of a strong will to emancipate and give justice its independence guaranteed by the Constitution and laws.

The requirement of independence
For his part, lawyer and activist Abdul Ghani Badi believes that judges adhere to the demand for independence and treat them with respect.

Badi stressed in his talk to Al Jazeera Net that human rights issues are always linked to a political situation and cast a shadow on it, and that the multiple fronts of protests - even if non-political in nature - will have effects on the scene.

Regarding the fate of the presidential elections in light of the escalating protests of the justice system, Badi said that the issue is linked to the high frequency of anger in the judiciary and other sectors.

He expected that "the continued blockage between the Judges Union and the Ministry and the departure of lawyers if repeated may prompt the Authority to reconsider the imposed road map, because it is approaching a dead end."

In principle, a special judicial source ruled out the involvement of his colleagues in the boycott of the presidential date, unless the union decided to do so in accordance with serious developments, he said.