UN Special Rapporteur calls on Algeria to release human rights activists, end harassment and repression
Ms. Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has called on Algerian authorities to release all human rights militants imprisoned for the exercise of their freedom of expression, opinion and association.
In her preliminary findings disclosed this week following her ten-day visit to the country, the UN official belied the statements made by various government figures that Algeria is a country ruled by law, and that everyone is treated equally before that law, saying it is clear that human rights defenders and their families are suffering in this country.
“Furthermore, time and again I heard about the lack of transparency in relation to suppressive actions taken against human rights defenders, where little information was provided about who gave an order against them, on what authority and for what reason,” she added, noting that several people complained about a political police force existing in the shadows and not accountable to any transparent oversight.
“Some human rights defenders I intended to meet, refused or cancelled at the last minute, for fear of reprisals,” she said, affirming that a number of human rights defenders, members of civil society organizations and victims of human rights violations were prevented from reaching her.
They were either stopped at checkpoints, or detained in a police station for over ten hours, said the UN human rights expert, stressing that those prevented from meeting her were under routine surveillance and regularly stopped when attempting to attend meetings, events or on other significant occasions.
Ms. Lawlor said that the majority of human rights defenders she met complained about the Algerian authorities’ constant monitoring, harassment, and disruption of their peaceful activities.
The UN special rapporteur called on the Algerian regime to stop intimidating and targeting human rights defenders for their work in line with UN Human Rights principles.
She denounced the restrictions imposed on freedom of expression saying they violate international human rights law. Ms. Mary Lawlor urged the Algerian authorities to refrain from limiting human rights defenders’ freedom of movement, including through the use of routine surveillance and interference with their activities.
Ms. Lawlor called for the abolishment of the use of ISDNs to limit the travel of human rights defenders abroad, decrying the excessive use by the authorities of the terrorism law to build bogus cases against human rights militants to toss them in prison.
