El-Karama files a complaint with the UN to denounce human rights violations in Algeria

As the presidential election approaches, the Algerian regime, instead of opting for calm, has chosen to escalate repression and violence against the people.

This has not gone unnoticed by numerous human rights organizations, including Geneva-based Al-Karama. The organization, while condemning the wave of human rights violations, deemed it necessary and appropriate to draw the attention of UN special rapporteurs from various sections dealing with human rights protection, freedom of expression, and the fight against torture. This was highlighted in a statement issued by Al-Karama on August 31, which we reproduce in full below.

As the Algerian presidential election on September 7, 2024, approaches, Algeria is going through a particularly harsh period of repression, marked by a wave of arbitrary arrests targeting political opponents, pro-democracy activists, journalists, academics, and human rights defenders.

This repression, orchestrated by the authorities, is a blatant violation of Algeria’s international commitments on human rights, particularly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Alkarama firmly condemns this alarming situation, which deprives the Algerian people of their fundamental right to self-determination, and announces that it will refer the UN special rapporteurs to investigate these blatant human rights violations in Algeria.

Repression in Algeria: An Alarming Context

With the approach of the Algerian presidential election, originally scheduled for December 2024 but controversially brought forward to September 7, 2024, Algeria is going through a period of particularly worrying repression. In August 2024 alone, dozens of political opponents, human rights activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens were arrested or placed under judicial control.

Among the most notable cases is that of Karim Tabou, former leader of the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), who has been repeatedly arrested and subjected to severe restrictions on his freedom, including a ban on expressing himself on social networks or participating in press conferences. Ali Benhadj, a prominent figure in the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), has been placed under house arrest, and his son Abdelfatah has been arrested and detained.

Me Rachid MESLI, Director of Alkarama, emphasized that: “These two recent cases also illustrate the continued repression against former members of the FIS, as many former party leaders remain detained for months for issuing a press release calling for the release of political prisoners and respect for public liberties.”

Moreover, the case of Hocine Benhalima, arrested after visiting his brother in prison, demonstrates the extension of this repression even to the relatives of imprisoned activists. Several hundred political detainees, including women, are currently deprived of liberty in Algeria. These arrests systematically target people expressing critical opinions of the regime, often under vague accusations such as “publishing false information” or “offending the president.”

Among other targeted political figures are Ali Laskri, former Secretary General of the FFS, who was arrested on August 20, 2024, during a trip to Ouzlaguen, as well as Fethi Ghares, Coordinator of the Democratic and Social Movement (MDS), who was arrested on August 27, 2024, at his home. According to Alkarama, these arrests are part of a deliberate strategy to eliminate any organized political opposition ahead of the elections.

The arrests have not only targeted political figures; Abdellah Bennaoum, a human rights activist and former political prisoner known for having carried out the longest hunger strike in Algeria, was arbitrarily arrested again at his home on August 28, 2024.

Legal Issues: Blatant Violations of Algeria’s International Obligations

Repressive practices in Algeria blatantly violate several provisions of the ICCPR, to which the country has been a party since 1989. Article 9 of the ICCPR, which protects against arbitrary detention, is regularly violated by the numerous arrests of activists and opponents without due legal process. Article 14, which guarantees the right to a fair trial, is also violated by the abusive use of pre-trial detention, which allows individuals to be held in prison without trial.

Freedom of expression, protected by Article 19 of the ICCPR, is also severely threatened, as evidenced by the restrictions imposed on figures such as Karim Tabou and Ali Benhadj. Article 22, which guarantees freedom of association, is systematically violated, particularly through the application of anti-terrorism legislation that equates any form of peaceful dissent with sabotage or terrorism.

These violations of fundamental rights are exacerbated by the adoption of repressive laws such as Article 87 bis of the Penal Code, which equates any call for changing the governance system with “terrorism.” This provision is used to justify the detention of peaceful activists and to muzzle any form of dissent. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of association has recently insisted on the need for Algeria to lift these restrictions and respect its international human rights commitments.

These attacks on fundamental freedoms also violate Article 25 of the ICCPR, which guarantees citizens the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, particularly through free elections. In the current context, where repression affects all sectors of civil society and political movements, the integrity of the elections is seriously compromised. The ability of the Algerian people to exercise their right to self-determination, a right for which so many lives were sacrificed during the struggle for independence, is thus directly threatened.

According to Me MESLI: “Without the guarantee of these essential freedoms, the aspiration of the Algerian people to self-determination is seriously undermined, making any election meaningless today.”

A Denial of the Inalienable Collective Right of Algerians to Self-Determination

These repressive practices, which affect all sectors of civil society and various political movements, do not only violate individual rights; they directly undermine the collective right of the Algerian people to self-determination.

Fundamental freedoms, protected by the ICCPR, are intrinsically linked to the ability of a people to exercise their right to self-determination. Without the ability to speak freely, to associate for common causes, and to fully and fairly participate in the political life of their country, Algerians are prevented from realizing the aspiration for which so many of their compatriots have sacrificed since the beginning of the struggle for independence.

Indeed, the ICCPR enshrines the right to self-determination in its first article and makes it the objective of the exercise of all the rights and fundamental freedoms protected in the Covenant. The right of peoples to self-determination is not only a pillar of international law but also a historical and moral foundation for the Algerian people, whose struggle for independence is an integral part of their history and identity.

Me MESLI concluded by saying: “It is deeply ironic that the Algerian authorities proclaim this principle on the international stage while violating it towards their own people. The aspiration of the Algerian people to govern their own affairs, to freely choose their political destiny, and to fully enjoy their fundamental rights is rooted in a history of struggle for self-determination and dignity—inalienable rights that no one could take away from them.”

In light of the serious violations of individual and collective rights of Algerians by the authorities, Alkarama has decided to urgently alert the following experts about the situation:

• The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
• The Special Rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association.
• The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
• The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
• The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.
• The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.
• The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
• The Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence.