UN Human Rights Committee Raises Questions On Civil, Political Issues In Algeria

In discussing the report that was submitted by the Algerian government on the measures that were taken to implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee in Geneva called for clarifications regarding the dissolution of the DRS security services, the banning of marches in Algiers, tightening control on the trade unions’ activity, violence against women, the increasing phenomenon of abortion and the closure of churches.

In the minutes of the meeting to discuss the report that was submitted by the Algerian delegation that is led by Lazhar Soualem, the Human Rights Director at the Foreign Ministry, to the UN Human Rights Committee, and which was published on the UN website, the latter demanded clarification on the “DRS” (Department of Information and security), and Commission’s experts asked whether Algeria was planning to reconsider some of the provisions of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation which prohibits the prosecution of members of the Defense and Security Forces.

Members of the Committee also requested clarifications regarding the significant delay in presenting the Algerian report, which should have been submitted in November 2011. However, it was submitted only after 6 full years.

They also confirmed the need to provide more information on the National Human Rights Plan and the timetable for its implementation, expressing their desire to know whether there was a human rights commission in parliament and what was its role.

In contrast, the Committee discussed many other issues with the Algerian delegation, such as arbitrary deprivation of liberty in secret detention centers and isolation from the outside world, discrimination, violence against women, measures to protect the Amazigh, abortion, tightening control on the trade union activity and the closure of churches across many regions of Algeria.

For his part, the Algerian delegation, which is composed of representatives of several ministries, confirmed, during the presentation that “the choice of Algerian society towards greater freedom is irreversible”, adding that “the Algerian state accompanies this dynamic and embodies it through its incorporation into domestic legislation and international treaties that take precedence on the national law.

The delegation that is led by Soualem also valued the level of democracy that Algeria has achieved by representing the “diversity of the composition of the National Assembly”, as more than 35 parties and 28 independent lists are represented, and more than 100,000 NGOs, over 65 organizations lead free syndicalist activity, freedom of assembly and demonstration, reflecting the vitality of democratic life in Algeria.

Algerian delegation responded to the ban on marches in Algiers, which has been in operation since 2001, saying: “The ban on demonstrations on the streets of Algeria is linked to special considerations of the capital. The state can not afford to allow demonstrations when it is proved that the organizers do not meet the conditions that make it happen peacefully.”

As for the recent criticism against Algeria, especially in the immigration file, Lazhar Soualem, Director of Human Rights at the Foreign Ministry, confirmed that “Algeria is a receiving ground for all those who have a legitimate need.”