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The US has appeared to dispute Algeria’s “terrorist” designation of groups, such as the Movement for Self-Determination of Kabylie as terrorist, saying it considers the Algerian government’s assessment as political rather than genuinely security-related.
The US Statement Department announced the news as part of its “Country Reports on Terrorism 2021,” published on February 27.
“In 2021 Algerian authorities targeted more frequently the Berber separatist Movement of the Self-Determination of Kabylie and the Islamist movement Rachad, which the government designated as terrorist organizations in May,” the state department recalled.
The US considers Algeria’s terrorist designations of these two movements as “political [rather] than security-focused,” the report noted, stressing that both groups are “highly critical of the government and do not appear to have committed” what the US defines as terrorist acts.
The US State Department also echoed international concerns about Algeria’s misuse of terror law to target dissidents and government critics.
“The government occasionally charged individuals with terrorism-related crimes for activities that appeared to constitute expression and peaceful activism,” the report said.
The same concerns have been expressed by many, including UN experts, who recently warned about the deteriorating state of human rights in Algeria due to the ongoing crackdown on dissidents, activists, and human rights groups.
In February, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, said of the situation of human rights in Algeria: “Acts of limited meditation and repression against the human rights movement must end.”
She added that the Algerian government’s decision to dissolve the human rights associations active in the country amounted to “an alarming crackdown on civil society organizations.”
Many other reports have pointed out similar human right violations, including other UN experts who in 2021 called on the international community to intervene to end the Algerian regime’s repressive use of anti-trrorism law against anti-government protests.
According to reports from both Algerian and international advocacy groups, over 260 activists are facing terror charges in Algeria.
