Algeria: French daily Le Monde decries Junta’s brutal repression policy

The dissolution of the Algerian League of Human Rights shows “the escalating repression of the Algerian regime which is crushing and suffocating the popular pro-democracy Hirak movement, commented on Thursday French daily “Le Monde”.

Hundreds of prisoners of conscience are now locked up and countless human rights militants have been banned from leaving the country and their passports were revoked in a bid to muzzle vocal critics and opponents, added the daily.

Besides, the League, other democratic bodies such as “Rassemblement Actions Jeunesse” and Association SOS Bab-El-Oued had also been dissolved, added the French newspaper, noting that “Agence Interfaces Medias, including “Radio M and “Maghreb Emergent” magazine, were shut down and their boss journalist Ihsane El Kadi was imprisoned.

In a joint statement, the French League for Human Rights (LDH), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organization against Torture (OMCT) had denounced the deteriorating the human rights situation in Algeria, saying “it is more worrying than ever”.

Algerian authorities continue to arrest and imprison peaceful activists, human rights defenders, and journalists for their critical expression. Some of them face terrorism-related charges based on an overbroad term definition of terrorism.

The crackdown on civil society organizations and political parties connected to the “Hirak” movement has intensified since Abdelmadjid Tebboune came to power in a 2019 election that was boycotted by millions of voters.

Algeria is ranked 134th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2022 World Press Freedom Index. The escalating oppression of Algerian authorities prompts an outcry from human rights and media organizations but almost no interest from western governments keen to maintain relations with Algeria due to its massive energy reserves which southern European countries need as alternatives to Russian energy.