Algeria Government Embarks On Drafting Draft Law Criminalizing Regionalism And Hate Speech

The Government announced the start of   drafting a draft law on criminalizing hate speech and regionalism, as called for by the President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

To this effect, the Prime Minister, Abdelaziz Djerad, on Wednesday instructed the Minister of Justice and the heads of ministerial departments directly concerned by the drafting of the law criminalizing racism, regionalism and hate speech to “start without delay the work leading to a rapid presentation” of a draft of this text, said a press release from the Prime Minister’s office.

During a Government meeting under his chairmanship, and “before listening to sectoral presentations and mentioning priority actions”, the Prime Minister discussed the instruction of the President of the Republic to draw up a bill criminalizing all forms of racism, regionalism and hate speech, the same source said.

“In this regard, and in accordance with the presidential guidelines, all care must be taken to determine the responsibilities of every citizen and every social group with regard to the sacred duty of respecting social cohesion and the values of unity and fraternity that have cemented the Algerian nation throughout its history.

It added that “everyone is required to abide by the constitution and laws of the republic, especially with regard to respecting the nation’s principles and values, and the basic components of national identity, national unity and the symbols of the state and the people.”

Still under the heading of priority actions, Mr. Djerad then “wished to reiterate his recommendations made at the first meeting of the Government recalling, in this respect, the need for each ministerial department to implement, as early as possible, the decisions and measures already recommended in the fight against bureaucracy within the machinery of public administration,” the same source also indicated.

In this connection, the members of the Government are “called upon to ensure, personally, the implementation of the actions defined, each one as far as he or she is concerned, with a view to a gradual   easing of administrative procedures which constitute nagging constraints for the citizens.