Since July 25, 2026, Ayoub Aïssiou has been held in a detention center in Barcelona, pending extradition proceedings to Algeria. Yet, this man has committed no crime. He is neither a terrorist nor a criminal, but a political target of the Algerian regime. His only fault? Daring to challenge, through his media commitment and support for the democratic opposition, a system that crushes all dissenting voices.
A Peaceful Opponent, Victim of a Political Settlement of Scores
A resident of France since 2019 and traveling freely between France and Spain, Ayoub Aïssiou had never been troubled until now. The multiple international arrest warrants issued against him—like those targeting dozens of other Algerian dissidents abroad—were systematically rejected by Interpol, precisely because of their eminently political nature. Yet, the Algerian regime, in a cynical maneuver, exploited bilateral agreements with Spain to secure his arrest, taking advantage of an opportunistic diplomatic thawing.
This strategy is part of a ongoing policy of systematic repression. How can we forget that notoriously corrupt generals, such as Habib Chentouf and Ghali Belksir—respectively the former head of the 1st Military Region residing in Spain and the former commander of the National Gendarmerie residing in France—enjoy total impunity despite military convictions for desertion, embezzlement of public funds, tax evasion, and money laundering? Or that Lotfi Nezzar, son of former Defense Minister Khaled Nezzar (himself sentenced in absentia to twenty years in prison for economic crimes), saw his convictions for illegal currency transfer and money laundering purely and simply wiped clean after his return to Algeria in December 2020?
Algerian justice, which Algerians ironically call “telephone justice,” is nothing more than an instrument at the service of the powerful. It cracks down on opponents while turning a blind eye to the crimes of men in uniform and their relatives.
Ayoub Aïssiou, Scapegoat of a Desperate Regime
The accusations brought against Ayoub Aïssiou are devoid of any legal basis. They stem from a political revenge campaign orchestrated by the Tebboune-Chengriha duo, who never forgiven this journalist for supporting Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s rival—the army’s official candidate—during the December 2019 presidential election through his television channel, Algeria One. The arbitrary closure of this channel and the seizure of its equipment were not enough: the regime, thirsty for vengeance, pushed its audacity to the point of demanding his extradition, even though he has never broken any law.
Faithful to his democratic convictions, Ayoub Aïssiou reiterated his commitment during the September 2024 presidential election by extending his support to Saïda Neghza, the most determined opposition figure facing the incumbent president. Today, she is serving a four-year prison sentence alongside three other candidates imprisoned for daring to challenge those in power.
Spain Facing a Historic Choice: Dignity or Complicity
That authoritarian regimes, known for their systematic human rights violations, are now appealing to Spain—a respected rule-of-law state—to carry out their dirty work should outrage every democratic conscience. The Algerian government, which imprisons, tortures, and stifles fundamental freedoms, cares little about the discredit it would bring upon Spain should it prevail.
Once Ayoub Aïssiou is handed over, he will suffer the fate reserved for Guermit Bounouira, extradited by Turkey in July 2020 and currently held under inhumane conditions after being sentenced to death (a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment). And what became of former gendarme Mohamed Abdallah, extradited on August 22, 2021, after suffering the most inhumane abuse? Or Mohamed Benhalima, extradited from Spain in March 2022, whose torture, sexual violence, prolonged isolation, and repeated beatings have been documented by human rights organizations Amnesty International and Al-Karama.
Extraditing Ayoub Aïssiou means condemning him to a slow death in the name of oil that Algeria threatens to withhold from Europe. It means selling out the honor of a country that prides itself on its values for a few drops of black gold. It means inflicting useless and cruel suffering on his family—a broken mother, a devastated father, a distraught wife, and young children who will grow up without understanding why their father was torn away from them.
A Solemn Appeal to Reason and Justice
We call upon the wisdom of the Catalan justice system, the farsightedness of the Spanish people, and the historical memory of Spain, which has in the past managed to resist pressure from the darkest regimes. Algeria is not a reliable partner, let alone an ally that respects human rights. Its regime, repeatedly denounced by the European Parliament as a “dictatorship of thugs,” deserves no indulgence.
Spain has a choice: side with the executioners or with the victims. We ask it to choose dignity.
The Support Committee for Ayoub Aïssiou
