November 25, 2023. Ahead of UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor’s visit to Algeria from November 26 to December 5, 12 NGOs, including FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) within the framework of the Observatory, express alarm about the erosion of the human rights situation and the systematic crackdown against human rights defenders. We call on Ms. Lawlor to pay attention to the risks of harassment and intimidation faced by defenders she may meet during the visit. Currently, over 230 human rights defenders and journalists languish behind bars, victims of a relentless crackdown on fundamental rights.
The Algerian authorities should end their crackdown on fundamental rights and freedoms and release all human rights defenders and activists who unjustly languish in jail, said 12 NGOs today, ahead of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders’ visit to Algeria, from 26 November to 5 December. The visit comes amid a dire human rights situation, with over 230 activists, journalists and human rights defenders currently imprisoned solely for exercising their rights to freedom of speech, association and peaceful assembly. The mandate of Special Rapporteur, Mary Lawlor, includes reporting on the situation of human rights defenders, broadly defined as ‘all persons, who individually or in association with others, act to promote or protect human rights peacefully.’
