paris mohamed benhalima looks as wary and frightened as he is led off a plane at algiers airport handcuffed with a security officers arm wrapped around him a team from algerias rapid intervention force then puts him in their vehicle and whisks him to an unknown destination the video was posted online on march 24 three days later algerians watched on television as the 32yearold confessed to involvement with an organization that authorities have listed as an islamist terrorist group plotting against the algerian government once a faithful servant of his homeland as a noncommissioned army officer benhalima became a supporter of algerias prodemocracy movement then a deserter who fled to europe spain expelled him after algeria issued a warrant for his arrest the confession scene was made public by algerias general directorate of national security in what could be seen as a warning to other soldiers or citizens hundreds of algerian citizens have been jailed for trying to keep alive the hirak movement that held weekly prodemocracy protests starting in 2019 leading to the downfall of longtime algerian president abdelaziz bouteflika the marches were banned last year by the nations armybacked government authorities then expanded their sweep linking some hirak supporters to two groups added to algerias terror list last year rachad regarded as islamist infiltrators whose leaders are in europe and mak a separatist movement in kabylie home of the berbers for the last two or three years there have been thousands of legal cases against activists said wellknown lawyer mustapha bouchachi their only error is that they expressed their political opinions on social media and are fighting for a state of law for authorities of the gasrich north african nation guaranteeing the stability of the state is at the heart of their actions for human rights groups benhalima and others are victims of an unjust antiquated system of governance that views dissidents or any critical voices as criminals they say that algerian authorities use threats to national security to stifle free speech including among journalists and justify arrests a campaign on social media with the hashtag pasuncrime not a crime was launched may 19 by dozens of nongovernmental organizations against repression of human rights the us state departments 2021 report on human rights in algeria cited a long list of problems including arbitrary arrests and detentions and restrictions on freedom of expression assembly and association in march the un high commissioner for human rights michelle bachelet asked algeria to change direction to guarantee the right of its people to freedom of expression association and peaceful assembly to be a human rights activist in algeria has become very difficult said zaki hannache a hirak militant recently temporarily released from prison to be an activist who refuses the system is complicated it even means sacrifices hannache best known for keeping track of hirakrelated arrests was arrested and jailed in february on a string of charges including defending terrorist acts the alleged confession of benhalima captures the combination of