Rabat – The EU Commission has warned against the alarming increase of human rights violations which have targeted activists, political opponents, and civil society members in Algeria.
The EU Commission said on Thursday that it noted an “increased level of targeted crackdowns on activists, non-governmental organizations and journalists” over the past year.
The EU emphasized that it frequently discusses the situation of human rights with Algerian authorities, imploring for the respect of fundamental freedoms.
The communique from the EU Commission also stressed the bloc’s determination to “deepen the open dialogue with Algeria based on trust and constructive criticism, and to keep encouraging the Algerian partners to establish an inclusive dialogue to increase confidence with all the representatives of the society.”
Algeria’s regime has been linked to a series of hostile actions against journalists and the Hirak movement activists who seek reforms amid the socio-economic crisis.
Recently, Algerian courts handed controversial verdicts against activists who criticized the military and their interference in the country’s governance.
In 2021, the Algerian regime jailed an activist for three years for circulating memes which criticized the government.
This is not the first time that the EU and the international community has expressed concern about the dire human rights situation in Algeria.
In December 2021, member of the EU Parliament Marie Arene released a statement to the international community which expressed worry over the health condition of Algerian activist Abdullah Benaoum.
Algeria had placed the activist in jail after his participation in a peaceful demonstration in December 2019.
Benaoum was accused of “demoralizing the army,” “undermining national unity,” “inciting an unarmed gathering,” “offending state institutions,” and “discrediting the decisions of the judiciary.”
UN experts also denounced Alegria’s repressive use of anti-terrorism laws against protesters.
In December 2021, a group of UN experts released a report to condemn the use and “misappropriation of anti-terrorism laws” to prosecute activists and journalists in Algeria.
“Based on the information we received and since 2019, a growing number of activists, journalists, and human rights deferences who played a role in the protests movement have been arrested under accusations linked to terrorism,” the report finds.
