Ferhat Mehenni (Kabyle: Ferḥat Mḥenni; Arabic: فرحات مهني; born March 5, 1951) is an Algerian separatist, political activist, singer, and founder and first President of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia (MAK).
[1] In 2021, Mehenni's organization, MAK, has been classified as a terrorist organisation in Algeria after claims from the Algerian authorities saying that MAK members were planning car bombs.
Mehenni was arrested by the French authorities and placed in police custody in 2021 as part of an investigation into organised money laundering in relation to sports betting.
[2] Mehenni was born on March 5, 1951, in Illoula Oumalou, Tizi Ouzou Province, Algeria.
[3] Soon after, he began his career as a protest singer and political activist.