“Houris” case: Aïcha Dahdouh denies disclosing medical secrets
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TSA
Psychiatrist Aïcha Dahdouh, prosecuted in the “Houris” novel case, says she disclosed no medical secrets about Saada Arbane, a former patient who filed a complaint. In a statement sent to AFP on 25 October, she contests the allegations as the Oran court prepares to deliver its verdict on 27 October, according to TSA.
Aïcha Dahdouh, a psychiatrist and wife of Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, denies disclosing a patient’s medical records whose story is said to have inspired the novel “Houris”. “I am innocent. I did not disclose a medical secret. I did not steal a file,” she said in a statement sent to AFP on Sunday 25 October, TSA reports.
Saada Arbane, a survivor of a terrorist attack in the 1990s, says she recognised her story in the main character of the novel, winner of the 2024 Prix Goncourt. She has taken legal action and maintains that the psychiatrist who treated her was the only person who could have passed details of her life to Kamel Daoud.
Aïcha Dahdouh says she has always respected medical confidentiality. Also facing prosecution in the case, she says she was unable to attend the trial because of the impact of her husband’s public statements and a painful family situation. The Oran court is due to deliver its verdict on Tuesday 27 October.
In her statement, she says she does not share Kamel Daoud’s positions on Algeria, Islam and Palestine, and writes that “Kamel Daoud’s voice must not erase mine”. The writer has consistently said that his wife was not involved in the case.
