Aïssat Idir

Aïssat Idir was an Algerian Syndicalist, founder of the General Union of Algerian Workers and martyr during the Algerian War, He was born in Mekla, more precisely Djemaa Saharidj on 11 June 1915, and died in a military hospital in Algiers on 27 July 1959.

Biography Early life Aïssat Idir was born on June 11, 1915, in Djamaâ Saharidj, in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, where he studied. His mother died when he was six years old. However, this event did not prevent him from excelling in school. Unfortunately, he had an incident on the day of the exam and therefore could not access the Bouzaréah Normal School. He went to Tunisia to live with his uncle in 1935, returning to take an exam at Ateliers industriels de l’air, an aéronautique group in 1939

Politics From 1949 to 1954 Aïssat Idir was member of an unknown Syndicalist group affiliated with the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties He was arrested for his Syndicalist activity but freed on 22 December 1954. The Union's goal was to mobilize workers to fight against colonialism and its injustices However he was defended by his lawyer Henri Rolin, hired by the ICFTU. Rolin succeeded in getting him out of jail on January 13, 1959. He was then stopped by two Gendarmes, and sent back to Prison in Birtraria, however this time the ICFTU fails. and the General Union of Algerian Workers is closed by French authorities the same day he got arrested. Death His family and lawyers were not given the right to visit Aissat while he was in jail for more than 2 months. Later French authorities announced that he had attempted suicide and was taken to a Military Hospital, where he was visited by one of his lawyers, in the presence of a French guard, Aïssat denied that he attempted suicide, but claimed he was tortured and that his legs were badly burned from it. He died several months later on June 16, 1959, from the burns. French colonial administration denied torturing Aïssat Idir, and claimed that he had accidentally burnt his bed, after falling asleep while smoking. He was buried in Sidi M'hamed Bou Qobrine Cemetery.