Canadian man says Algeria punished his activism by arresting his son

A Montreal man says Algerian authorities have retaliated against his political activism in Canada by imprisoning his son in Algeria, and that the Canadian government has not helped. 

Ammar Lakehal told Radio-Canada that his son Massinissa, who is not a Canadian citizen, has been detained since July 27, apparently due to his father’s links to a political group banned by Algeria. 

Lakehal is one of a growing number of Canadian citizens of Kabyle origin who say they are being targeted by Algerian authorities.

Kabylia is a Berber-speaking region of Algeria whose habitants have their own language and culture. Some Kabyles— including Lakehal — advocate for the creation of an independent state.

In Canada, more than 37,000 people speak Kabyle, according to Statistics Canada.

Radio-Canada has learned the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has opened an investigation into allegations by citizens of Kabyle origin who say they are the subject of intimidation by the Algerian authorities. In response to an information request, the RCMP said, “we cannot confirm or deny the existence of a criminal investigation before the laying of criminal charges.”

The investigation is being conducted by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, the unit in charge of the foreign interference file, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada. 

It was launched following a Radio-Canada/CBC report in June that revealed that members of this community had been surveilled and intimidated on Canadian soil.

Lakehal accuses Algerian authorities of targeting his son to silence his activism in Canada.

‘Arrested for being my son’

A few days before Massinissa’s arrest, the 35-year-old called Lakehal from Algeria to tell him about a rumour that was circulating.

“It’s difficult to hear your child say, ‘Dad, I’m going to be arrested shortly and I know I am going to be tortured’,” Lakehal recounted.

“He was arrested for being my son,” he said.

Lakehal has long campaigned for the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), and was the group’s president of coordination for North America from 2018 to 2023.

He attended demonstrations in Canada and the United States demanding the release of political detainees in Algeria.

The Algerian State declared the MAK a terrorist entity in 2021. Anyone associated with the group risks imprisonment.

Canada and the United States do not consider the MAK a terrorist organization. In a 2022 report, the U.S. State Department said it considered Algeria’s classification of the MAK “to have been more political than security related,” observing that the MAK is highly critical of the Algerian government.

Father actual target

Massinissa is accused of promoting terrorist acts and of publishing online messages deemed against the national interest.

According to Lakehal, his son is sympathetic to the independence movement, as are many Kabyles. Massinissa has also publicly denounced the incarceration of political detainees, but is not a MAK member, Lakehal said.

Sources in Algeria have confirmed to Radio-Canada that Lakehal’s activism was the main reason for his son’s arrest.

“Do these judges have children? Do they have a heart? Do they have families?” Lakehal asked. “How do you send a man or woman to prison for their peaceful ideas? How do they agree to put someone in prison because he is someone’s son? There are things happening in that country that are terrifying.”

The Algerian Embassy in Ottawa, the Algerian Consulate in Montreal and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Algiers did not respond to Radio-Canada requests for interviews or statements.

Amnesty International denounced human rights violations in Algeria ahead of last week’s presidential election, won by incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune with 94 per cent of the vote.

“Algerian authorities have maintained their repression of civic space by continuing their brutal crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in the run up to the country’s presidential elections scheduled to be held on 7 September,” the human rights watchdog said.

“Algerian authorities have persisted in using bogus terrorism charges to silence peaceful dissent,” it continued.

Trudeau fails to intervene

“Global Affairs Canada is aware of the case of Mr. Lakehal and his son,” the department wrote in response to questions from Radio-Canada.  

Asked if Canada would intervene with Algerian authorities, the department said: “We maintain long-standing bilateral relations with Algeria, which allows us, among other things, to engage in discussions with the Algerian government on issues of importance to Canada, including human rights.”

When Lakehal wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he received a different response.

After Algerian authorities did not respond to his letter asking to speak with his son and condemning his arrest, Lakehal wrote to Trudeau on Aug. 13.

“If I am writing to you today, it’s to ask you to intervene with the Algerian authorities to stop this injustice, but also to allow me as a father to get in touch with my son,” he asked.

He was deeply disappointed by the response he received from a spokesperson for the prime minister.

“I understand that your son is not a Canadian citizen. You will therefore understand that Mr. Trudeau cannot get involved in a matter that concerns the administration of a foreign country with regard to its citizens,” she explained. “I regret that my response cannot be favourable.”

Widespread interference

The Prime Minister’s answer “strikes me as false”, said Phil Gurski, a former senior strategic analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

“The fact that we have a Canadian citizen whose son has been imprisoned, I would think that the government would have a justification and I would say a necessity, an obligation to try to help this man and his son who’s been in prison in Algeria,” he said. 

Gurski notes that Canada intervenes regularly to help nationals of other countries, such as refugees.

Lakehal’s case is part of a wider phenomenon of authoritarian governments targeting their diaspora in Canada, according to Gurski, who is a digital fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. 

Gurski and his colleagues have written a report on transnational repression in Canada set to be published this fall.

“The Trudeau government is not doing enough to protect Canadians from the threats and harassment of foreign governments,” he said.

“We saw it with Chinese interference. The government knew about it, but did nothing,” said Gurski. “It may be hesitant to approach certain regimes for fear of damaging our diplomatic or trade relationship with those countries.”

Meanwhile, Lakehal still has not spoken with his son since his incarceration a month-and-a-half ago.

“I want to hear his voice,” he said with tears in his eyes.