By Hassan Jibril
ALGIERS (AA) – Algerian police have denied reports about fatalities among security forces during Friday's protests against a re-election bid by incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Activists on social media said that a policeman had been killed and another seriously injured during protests in the capital Algiers on Friday.
But in a Saturday statement, the Directorate General of National Security said only injuries only reported among security forces during the protests.
“No deaths were reported, ” it confirmed.
According to Algerian authorities, around 195 people were arrested for carrying out “acts of sabotage ” during Friday's protests.
For the third consecutive week, thousands of Algerians took to the streets to protest Bouteflika’s bid to secure a fifth term in office.
Bouteflika ruled Algeria since 1999.
Opposition figures have repeatedly urged the aging president, who in 2013 was treated for a blood clot in the brain, to refrain from contesting the election.
