Algeria Defends Attempted Assassination Suspect… and Accuses Others of Conspiracy

ALDAR / Analysis

In a statement that raises many questions, Algerian authorities issued a strongly worded protest against the French judiciary’s arrest of an Algerian consular employee suspected of involvement in an attempted assassination of prominent Algerian dissident Amira Bouras, known by his alias “Amir DZ,” who resides in France.

What’s particularly odd about Algeria’s stance is that the detained individual does not enjoy any diplomatic or consular immunity, making his investigation by French authorities entirely legal and not in violation of international norms. Nevertheless, Algeria has described the incident as a “blatant interference” in its affairs, overlooking the fact that the case concerns a criminal act committed on French soil targeting a political refugee who is under legal protection in the host country.

Even more troubling is that Algeria not only objected to the arrest but went further by indirectly accusing foreign parties—chief among them Morocco—of attempting to sabotage its reconciliation process with Paris. These hints are widely interpreted as an effort to politicize the crime and turn it into a bargaining chip in a long-standing regional conflict, rather than addressing the real questions: Why is the name of an Algerian diplomat surfacing in an assassination attempt against a dissident? And who is protecting whom?

Algeria’s statements reveal political and diplomatic confusion, raising legitimate concerns about the state’s behavior towards its opponents abroad. They also spark fears about its intentions toward voices that continue to expose corruption or call for reform from outside the country.

At a time when public opinion expects respect for the independence of the French judiciary, it appears that Algerian authorities are seeking to shield suspicious behavior under the guise of sovereignty—forgetting that relations between states cannot be built on double standards or a policy of denial.