On Sunday, February 2, 2025, the investigating judge at the Tlemcen Court ordered the temporary detention of student Charef-Eddine Talhaoui, the representative of striking medical students at the Faculty of Medicine in Tlemcen. He faces charges of “spreading false information,” “disturbing public order,” and “undermining national interests.”
According to testimonies from his colleagues, Talhaoui was arrested on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, in front of the university residence in Tlemcen. Witnesses reported that plainclothes individuals in three vehicles took him to an unknown location. His sudden disappearance left his family in great distress, as they received no information about him for five days.
This event occurs amid a nationwide strike by medical students in Algeria that has been ongoing for several months, which has paralyzed major medical faculties across the country, particularly in Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Sétif, and Annaba. The students’ demands include an increase in residency positions, international recognition of their diplomas, improved training and supervision in university hospitals, and employment guarantees after graduation. Charef-Eddine Talhaoui was one of the leading voices advocating for these demands within the student movement.
