Geneva: NGO slams Algeria’s arbitrary deportation of Sub-Saharan Migrants

NGO PDES, French acronym for ‘Promotion of Economic and Social Development’, criticized, in Geneva, the arbitrary deportation of sub-Saharan migrants by the Algerian authorities in defiance of international human rights standards.

Speaking at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, the NGO, which has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), noted that dozens of reports speak of mass arrests of migrants coupled with arbitrary deportations without guarantees.

These practices are carried out without appropriate legal procedures, including individual risk assessments, which leave migrants with no opportunity to enjoy their rights, PDES deplored.

Despite the concerns expressed by civil society and the international community over these practices, which fail to uphold the fundamental rights of sub-Saharan migrants, namely the right to life, to no discrimination, to safety, to protection against torture and ill-treatment, and protection against arbitrary deportation, the Algerian state continues to carry out arbitrary deportations that are not limited to illegal migrants but also include asylum seekers and refugees, with no respect for the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of people to a country where they risk persecution or inhuman treatment.

The NGO called on the Human Rights Council to urge Algeria to respect international human rights standards during deportations, ensuring that each deportation case is assessed individually to guarantee that there is no risk of persecution, inhuman or degrading treatment, or violation of other fundamental rights.