Algeria police deny deaths in Friday demos

By Hassan Jibril

ALGIERS (AA) – Algerian police have denied reports about fatalities among security forces during Friday's protests against a re-election bid by incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Activists on social media said that a policeman had been killed and another seriously injured during protests in the capital Algiers on Friday.

But in a Saturday statement, the Directorate General of National Security said only injuries only reported among security forces during the protests.

"No deaths were reported," it confirmed.

According to Algerian authorities, around 195 people were arrested for carrying out "acts of sabotage" during Friday's protests.

For the third consecutive week, thousands of Algerians took to the streets to protest Bouteflika’s bid to secure a fifth term in office.

Bouteflika ruled Algeria since 1999.

Opposition figures have repeatedly urged the aging president, who in 2013 was treated for a blood clot in the brain, to refrain from contesting the election.