The US State Department defends the Jews of Algeria!

As every year, the US State Department has lashed at the general situation of human rights in Algeria.

Indeed, the 47-page report of the US State Department on the situation of human rights and freedoms in Algeria for 2015 excoriates again the Algerian government as it similarly did in 2014.

The report notes that in terms of human rights, three major problems remain in Algeria including quote: “the lack of freedom and of association, the lack of independence of justice and abuse of arbitrary detention, unquote”.

The report also notes that although anti-corruption laws are in place, their implementation remains problematic. In terms of collective and individual freedoms, the US State Department report raises “issues of repression by the excessive use of police force including torture allegations”.

Moreover, the State Department strongly criticized the attitude of the Algerian authorities on “the principle of respect for religious freedoms and manifold violations of individual freedoms”, as it put it.

So, sexual discrimination, violence and hatred speech against notably the “gay and lesbian” community are highlighted in this report which states that “homosexuality” is punishable by law in Algeria with imprisonment from 6 to 3 years and a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 dinars.

Furthermore, the report also defends the Jews, numbering around 200 in Algeria, noting what it termed as “the anti-Semitic climate in social networks and the myriad administrative hassles they face”.