An Algerian man, Faouzi Zegout from Frenda, shocked the capital on Sunday, June 1, after setting himself on fire in front of the Ministry of Justice in Algiers — a desperate protest act that has since gripped national attention.
Eyewitnesses say Zegout, clad in formal attire, doused himself in petrol and ignited the flames near the ministry’s gates. Security personnel reacted swiftly, extinguishing the fire and rushing him to a burns hospital, where he’s now reported to be in stable condition.
A video, reportedly filmed moments before the act, shows Zegout calmly addressing the camera. In it, he accuses a judge in Frenda of threatening him with a 10-year sentence over a fundraising effort he organized without state authorization — a campaign he claimed was solely meant to help those needing medical care.
The incident occurred on the same day he was to receive a court verdict, and in his final words on camera, he appealed directly to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, decrying what he called “judicial injustice” and “abuse of power.”
While rare in Algeria, acts of self-immolation carry historic weight across North Africa, echoing the kind of protest that helped ignite the Arab Spring. Zegout’s actions have ignited a fiery public debate on judicial accountability, civic expression, and the limits of state power in modern Algeria.
