An Algerian Journalist and Activist, Files Torture Complaint Against Generals at the United Nations

Earlier in November, the organization Alkarama referred the case of Algerian investigative journalist Tijani Omari, a political refugee in Switzerland, to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, alleging that he was tortured by Algerian intelligence officers.
Tijani Omari, born in 1992 in Tebessa, a journalist and member of the Algerian Association for the Promotion of Citizenship and Human Rights, was kidnapped in late May 2019 and taken to the “Antar Ben Aknoun” center, operated by Algerian intelligence!
According to reports, Omari was subjected to extreme forms of torture at the center by senior officers of the Algerian National People’s Army, including General Djebbar Mehnna, the former director of the Directorate of Documentation and External Security (DDSE), Colonel Zerqine Sawahi, known as “Muadh,” and other officers.
On the reasons behind his arbitrary abduction and the charges against him, Omari stated, “The reason was my writings about corruption cases in state institutions, particularly my revelations about the involvement of Khaled Tebboune, the current president’s son, and Mohamed Djemaï, the then-leader of the National Liberation Front (FLN), in hard drug trafficking.” He added, “It’s well known that Djemaï’s family engages in smuggling of all kinds in the eastern region, especially in the border province of Tebessa with Tunisia.” Omari also cited his participation in the popular protests (Hirak) at that time.
“Following my abduction and torture by army officers, including General Mehnna and Colonel Zerqine Sawahi, at the instigation of Mohamed Djemaï and corrupt elites involved in significant corruption cases, I filed a complaint after my release from the infamous ‘Antar Ben Aknoun’ torture center with the public prosecutor in Tebessa. However, no legal action was taken against them due to their influence and because the judiciary in Algeria is not independent at all, while harassment against me continued,” Omari explained.
In late 2021, Omari was summoned to the National Gendarmerie for interrogation on heavy charges, including affiliation with a terrorist group, espionage for foreign entities, and threatening national security. These accusations paved the way for his trial by the military court in Blida, near Algiers. However, he managed to escape abroad, specifically to Switzerland, just days before the trial’s first session, fearing a lifetime behind bars on fabricated charges. Despite receiving a call from Algerian authorities offering a safe return to Algeria in exchange for abandoning his political activities and criticism of the regime, he fled.
Omari stated that “the heavy charges brought against me in early December 2021 were due to my exposure of a scandal involving the smuggling of military uniforms into Algeria through suspicious means by smugglers and corrupt figures, in collaboration with General Djebbar Mehnna and General Ali Oulhadj, the current commander of the National Gendarmerie.” This scandal was covered by both local and international media before Omari’s arrest and transfer to the National Gendarmerie Research and Investigation Unit in Bab El Oued, Algiers. He was then sent to the military court for trial on multiple charges.
Omari continues to face harassment and threats of fabricated charges by Algerian intelligence through their agent Sidiq Daadi, a former political opponent living in Switzerland, who has since become an ally of the regime. Daadi previously filed a lawsuit against the notorious General Khaled Nezzar in Switzerland but withdrew it after negotiations and bribes, returning to Algeria under the protection of General Abdelkader Haddad, known as Nacer Al-Jaban.
Tijani Omari, an investigative journalist and victim of torture and attempted murder by Algerian intelligence, remains unsafe even after his escape due to systematic practices aimed at silencing his voice and forcing him to withdraw his complaint against the Algerian regime, particularly against intelligence officers Colonel Zerqine Sawahi (“Muadh”) and General Djebbar Mehnna.