Human rights in Algeria

Politics of Algeria

African Union Member State of the African Union Arab League Member State of the Arab League

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In 2011, the then Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika[1] lifted a state of emergency that had been in place since the end of the Algerian Civil War in 2002, as a result of the Arab Spring protests that had occurred throughout the Arab world.[2][3]

Serious challenges to human rights in Algeria have included torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, serious restrictions on free expression and media, overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, or operation of NGOs, restrictions of religious freedom, serious government corruption, people trafficking, significant restrictions on workers’ freedom of association and child labor.[4][5] In 2017, Human Rights Watch reported the Algerian government had increasingly resorted to criminal prosecutions against bloggers, journalists, and media figures for peaceful speech, via articles in the country's penal code criminalising "offending the president", "insulting state officials" and "denigrating Islam", in addition to dismissing peaceful demonstrations as "unauthorised gatherings".[6]

Bouteflika resigned in 2019 after months of protests following the declaration of his intention to run for a fifth term as president. Following an interim period, Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected president, who spoke out in favour of protestors.[7] Despite this, Human Rights Watch reported in 2021 that the Algerian government continued to arrest and imprison protestors, activists, and journalists from the Hirak movement, alongside amending the country's constitution to restrict freedom of speech and further curtail judicial independence.[8]

  1. ^ "Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns after mass protests". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  2. ^ "Algeria lifts 19-year-old state of emergency". Reuters. 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  3. ^ "Two-decade 'state of emergency' to be lifted by month's end". France 24. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  4. ^ "US State Dept 2022 Human Rights report". Archived from the original on 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  5. ^ "2010 Human Rights Report: Algeria". US Department of State. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  6. ^ Algeria Events of 2016. Human Rights Watch. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  7. ^ "Le Président Tebboune assure que le Hirak est un phénomène salutaire et me en garde contre toute tentative d'infiltration". Algérie Presse Service. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  8. ^ "World Report 2021: Rights Trends in Algeria". Human Rights Watch. 2020-12-11. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2021-04-10.