Aïssat Idir was an Algerian Syndicalist, founder of the General Union of Algerian Workers and martyr during the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

, 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 Tizi Ouzou or Thizi Wezzu (, Kabyle: Tizi Wezzu) is a city in north central Algeria, and capital of Tizi Ouzou Province and Tizi Ouzou District. It is among the largest cities in Algeria. It is the second most populous city in the Kabylia reg ...

, where he studied. His mother passed away 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 in 1950/51 he was suspected to be part of the Special Organization after a factory had gone on strike.

Politics

From 1949 to 1954 Aïssat Idir was member of an unknown Syndicalist group affiliated with the

Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties The Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD), name proposed by Maiza, was created October 1946 to replace the outlawed Parti du Peuple Algerien (PPA). Messali Hadj remained as its president. The MTLD was created on the same platfo ...

then he chose to support the FLN during the

. He was arrested for his Syndicalist activity but freed on 22 December 1954. In the summer of 1955, there was a plot by the Messalistes to establish a trade union, and when Aïssat Idir became aware he discussed it with

Abane Ramdane Abane Ramdane (; June 10, 1920 – December 26, 1957) was an Algerian political activist and revolutionary. He played a key role in the organization of the independence struggle during the Algerian war. His influence was so great that he was kn ...

, and on behalf of the FLN, both founded the

General Union of Algerian Workers The General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA; , ) is the main Algerian trade union, established February 24, 1956 with the objective of mobilizing Algerian labour against French colonial and capitalist interests. It was banned shortly afterwards, i ...

on February 24th 1956 with many other workers. The Union's goal was to mobilize workers to fight against colonialism and its injustices and he proclaimed himself Secretary General for the Union. He was then arrested on 23 or 24 May 1954, along with 40 of his workers, and imprisoned in Serkadji Prison where he is suspected him of being a member of the ICFTU. During his imprisonment, he was tortured by French colonialists. 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

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.

References

{{reflist Algerian Berber politicians 20th-century Algerian politicians 1915 births 1959 deaths People from Mekla