In another revolution in the Maghreb, the people of Algeria obtained the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on April 2, 2019. But like in Sudan, the army has clung unto power and made great attempts to prevent effective democratisation, arresting and detaining human rights defenders and activists. This article is published by Human Rights Watch. Here is an excerpt:

The Algerian authorities should immediately release human rights defenders, civil society activists, opposition figures, journalists, and all others arbitrarily imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights to speak and assemble, Human Rights Watch said today.

Three years after the movement known as the “Hirak” began its massive weekly peaceful street marches for political reform, the authorities are holding at least 280 activists, many of them associated with Hirak, who are facing or convicted on the basis of vague charges. Some face charges of terrorism based on a definition so broad that it is arbitrary. This number has soared over the past year, while the authorities have also moved against associations and political parties deemed supportive of the Hirak.

“Algerian authorities should release the hundreds of people imprisoned for their peaceful speech or pro-Hirak activism,” said Eric Goldstein, acting Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Piling on dubious charges of ‘terrorism’ and vague charges like ‘harming national unity’ cannot hide the fact that this is about crushing the critical voices of a peaceful reform movement.”

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