A group of civil society organisations has called on the Algerian authorities to implement the recommendations they received during their last Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Development Diaries reports that the organisations – Cairo Institute For Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), EuroMed Rights and MENA Rights Group – made the call in a joint statement.
The organisations raised concern over Algeria’s failure to accept recommendations geared towards strengthening the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
They noted that many recommendations made by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) were not accepted by the country. The recommendations, it is understood, addressed the issue of arbitrary detentions.
Algeria’s human rights record was reviewed on 11 November, 2022, during its fourth UPR before HRC.
During the HRC’s 52nd session in March 2023, the Algerian delegation reported that it had accepted 215 of the 290 recommendations it was presented with (of which the delegation considers 55 to be implemented already), partially accepted four, and took note of 70.
‘While Algeria accepted recommendations pertaining to the need to bring human rights legislation in line with the constitution and the state’s relevant international obligations, the authorities claimed that the exercise of freedom of expression, assembly and association is already protected in the constitution’, the statement read.
‘Yet, Algeria did not accept to amend penal code provisions that restrict freedom of expression and contradict article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)’.
The rights organisations urged Algeria to reconsider its stance on the recommendations that were simply noted.
The United States, in a 2020 report, noted human rights issues – including arbitrary detention, serious restrictions on freedom of expression and press, arrests of journalists and substantial interference with freedoms of peaceful assembly and association – in Algeria.
Algeria is rated ‘not free’ in Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2023 annual study of political rights and civil liberties worldwide.
Development Diaries calls on Algeria to respect its constitutional provisions on the rights to freedom of association and also conform to the provisions of article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Source: CIHRS
Photo source: Reuters
