According to the local media, Hassan Benkhedda died in a stampede as protesters fled the security forces.
The son of a former prime minister in Algeria has died while taking part in anti-government protests after he clashed with police and “thugs unrelated to the protesters”.
The death of Hassan Benkhedda – the son of former Algerian president Benyoucef Benkhedda who led the country from 1961 to 1962 – believed to be in his fifties, was confirmed by Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui, Al Jazeera reported.
The dead man’s brother, Salim Benkhedda, said Hassan had participated in the protests near the presidential palace in central Algiers on Friday. Salim said he lost contact with his sibling when security forces violently dispersed the protest. He was later informed by hospital officials that his body had been transferred to hospital.
According to the local media, Hassan, who suffered from epilepsy, died in a stampede as protesters fled the security forces.
Algerians have taken to the streets, calling for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down and drop plans to stand for a fifth term when presidential elections take place on April 18.
Bouteflika, 82, submitted his official election papers at the Constitutional Council in Algiers on Sunday, the deadline for candidates.
The ailing and ageing president has avoided being seen in public since he suffered a stroke in 2013. Over the weekend he was reported to still be in Switzerland for medical treatment.
Critics say he is incapable of leading due to his poor health, chronic corruption, and a lack of economic reforms which have failed to tackle an unemployment rate of 25% among people under 30.
Source: African News Agency
