The petition came as tens of thousands of people protested in Algeria against the 82-year-old ailing leader’s bid to secure a fifth term in the country’s April 18 elections.
“It is obvious that the Algerian president is today incapable of discernment, with a very precarious health condition and that all of his actions … have not been carried out by him but by his political and familial entourage,” said the document. But if the Swiss court deems there is an urgent need to step in an protect a vulnerable individual, it could choose to weigh in, he told AFP, stressing that “the question is if there is urgency”.
Ditisheim said her client had already requested that the University Hospitals of Geneva release Bouteflika’s medical records to determine his actual condition, maintaining it was of public interest to Algerians.