Algerian police placed on Sunday Ali Belhadj, the second-in-command of the outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), under judicial monitoring, with his activity and his home in the Hussein Dey suburb of Algiers under surveillance.
This comes after Belhadj made statements on TV criticizing the army chief and instigated a rally of Front sympathizers and militants early last month, which authorities saw as an indication of the “return of extremist fundamentalism.”
Belhadj’s case was forwarded to the Hussein Dey Court’s investigating judge for further inquiry. The judge decided to put him under judicial surveillance–with three days a week spent in a security facility–and to restrict his mobility to that of the Hussein Day district (central Algeria).
Belhadj was also notified that he was neither permitted to speak with the media nor to engage in social media activities, which were added to various, previously existing restrictions subsequent to his prior releases in 2002 and 2005, respectively. This also included a ban on engaging in Friday prayer activity.
Recently, Ali Belhadj recorded and distributed social media videos to criticize the army and Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, Saïd Chengriha.