Ait Ahmed, Hocine (1926– )

Algerian nationalist and politician. He was a member of the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) and the Conseil National de la Révolution Algérienne (CNRA) during the liberation war. Arrested in 1956 by the colonial authorities, he remained in prison until 1962. Deputy in the national assembly at independence, he withdrew from it in 1963 and organized his own opposition party, the Front des Forces Socialistes (FFS). Having attempted to mount a war from his homeland Kabylia against the Ben Bella regime, he was arrested and sentenced to death. He escaped from prison in 1966 and fled the country.

The legalization of multiparty politics in Algeria ended his exile in 1989, but did not prevent him from being outspoken in his criticism of the way the democratic process is conducted.