Algerian court sentences Chinese workers after roadblock protest

An Algerian court has sentenced 15 Chinese workers to a suspended six-month jail term and a fine of 100 euros for blocking a road because their employer had decided to send them back home, the daily El Khabar reports.

Eric Gaba /Open acess

The workers, who were building a jail in Abadla in Bechar province, had refused to return to China after their Algerian work permits expired, the paper said.

They closed off a main road on three occasions and ransacked equipment belonging to their employer.

They had arrived in Algeria a year ago to relieve another group of Chinese workers, it added.

They were to be taken to Algiers ahead of their repatriation to China.

About 45 per cent of the 50,000 foreigners working in Algeria are Chinese. They are heavily represented in construction and public works projects in all major cities.