Lounès Matoub (Kabyle: Lwennas Meɛṭub; Arabic: معطوب الوناس; 24 January 1956 – 25 June 1998) was an Algerian Kabylian singer, poet, and thinker who sparked an intellectual revolution, and mandole player who was an advocate of the Berber cause, human rights, and secularism in Algeria throughout his life.

His assassination, claimed by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), in unclear circumstances, provoked violent riots in Kabylia.

[3]Despite being banned from Algerian radio and television during his life, Matoub became, and remains, an extremely popular Kabylian singer.

During the civil war, which began in 1992, the Islamist Armed Islamic Group added his name to a hitlist of artists and intellectuals.

On 25 June 1998, at approximately 12:30 pm local time, Matoub's car was stopped at a roadblock while he was driving along a mountainous road in eastern Algeria (Kabylia).

Within hours, news of Matoub's murder had spread throughout Kabylia and thousands of angry mourners gathered around the hospital where his body was taken.

Matoub's assassination occurred a week before a law excluding languages other than Arabic from public life was due to come into effect.

On the first anniversary of his death, a general strike was observed in the Kabylian city of Tizi-Ouzou and thousands protested on the streets.

The BBC reported that many Berber activists blamed the government for Matoub's death and rejected its claim that Islamists were responsible.

On 18 July 2011, two men, Malik Madjnoun and Abdelhakim Chenoui, were convicted of killing Matoub, and sentenced to 12 years in jail.

[6] Matoub spoke out in favour of federalism, secularism, democracy, freedom of speech, the recognition of Berber as a national and official language, and the decentralization of public schools in Algeria.