Algeria: Macron must address the “degradation” of human rights

A dozen organizations of the Algerian diaspora urge Emmanuel Macron not to “hide” during his visit to Algeria the question of the “degradation” of human rights in this country and “not to condone this despotic drift of the Algerian regime” , in an open letter.

The French president will travel from Thursday August 25 to Saturday August 27 on an official visit to Algeria.

Thirteen organizations – including Debout l’Algérie, Citizen Action for Algeria, Groupe Algérie Droit Devant, the Collective of Families of the Disappeared in Algeria or the Coordination of Algerians of the World – sent Macron this open letter on Saturday, including AFP became aware this Sunday, August 21.

Open letter ✉️ رسالة مفتوحة
the #Collective_of_Families_of_Disappeared_in_Algeria (#CFDA), among other organizations of the #Algerian_diasporais a signatory of an open letter addressed to the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. #SOS_Missing #TruthandJustice pic.twitter.com/ZrBJ171mNZ

– SOS Disappeared – CFDA (@SOS_Disappeared) August 21, 2022

These organizations say they “hope” that this visit “will be fruitful for the two countries, strongly linked by history, geography, culture, language and all the exchanges and partnerships woven since independence”, they declare in the open letter.

“Mr. President, there is nevertheless a serious subject which should not be overlooked during this visit: that of the current state of human rights in Algeria”, they call out.

“Nearly ten thousand arrests followed by at least a thousand abusive pre-trial detentions in violation of the criminal code have been to the credit of this regime since the beginning” of the Hirak pro-democracy demonstrations (launched in February 2019) which shook power , denounce these organizations.

The gains obtained are in sharp decline, even disappearing

“The response of the Algerian authorities to popular aspirations has been an unprecedented repressive policy through its strategy of terror to silence the populations in a situation of rupture with the supporters of the political system in place”, according to the letter.

Today, “the few achievements obtained at the cost of decades of struggle and civic engagement (…) on freedom of expression, organization, demonstration, press and political activity are clearly decline, even in the process of disappearance”, castigate the signatory organizations.

They note that the “Algerian diaspora is not spared because of its involvement and its massive and continuous support for the popular movement”, stressing that “Algerians in France but also Franco-Algerians fear retaliatory measures in their movements in Algeria”.

“Mr. President, you cannot support this despotic drift of the Algerian regime”, challenge these organizations.

“We, organizations of the diaspora, deeply worried about this very authoritarian evolution of the Algerian political system, have the duty to express to you our deep concern about this dangerous situation of fundamental freedoms in Algeria under the current regime”, they add.

(With AFP)