Algeria: Damning Testimony Of A Human Rights Activist Before The UN On The Widespread Repression

Speaking in the context of the pre-session of the universal periodic review dedicated to civil society, an Algerian human rights activist challenged by video conference the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the climate repression and oppression of fundamental freedoms in Algeria. Jamila Loukil denounced repressive police practices in Algeria, acts of intimidation, judicial harassment practices and the authorities’ use of arbitrary travel bans in order to put pressure on human rights activists.

Prevented from leaving her country, Jamila Loukil challenges by video conference, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Algeria. In her statement, she recounts the abuse to which she was subjected during the trip with her husband, Kaddour Chouicha, vice-president of the office of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) in Geneva to attend the Universal Periodic Review pre-session dedicated to civil society. For this trip, the human rights activist claims to have been detained with her husband by the police at Oran airport, who would have knowingly wanted to make her miss her trip to Geneva. It was only after the plane had left that he and her husband were able to leave the police station.

According to Jamila Loukil, the situation of human rights and freedoms has deteriorated sharply in Algeria. And this, with an unprecedented repression of fundamental rights and freedoms.

In the field of freedom of assembly and demonstration, Jamila Loukil points out that since 2021, the penal code has undergone a broad modification with the broadening of the fields of accusation, the toughening of criminal penalties and above all the expansion of the notion of terrorism to all critical activities or positions, with the instrumentalization of the judicial institution.

“This has led to the criminalization of the activities of associations, trade unions, politics, human rights defenders, journalists and the imprisonment of thousands of people,” she protested.

Jamila Loukil also stressed that Algeria’s commitments to respect freedom of the press and freedom of expression have not been kept. Journalists and bloggers have been imprisoned on terrorism charges or under penal code provisions that provide for custodial sentences, the human rights activist said, illustrating the incitement to unarmed gatherings, discrediting court rulings, moral attack from the army, offense to officials and defamation.

For 17 months, Jamila Loukil and her husband have been on bail for false terrorism charges.

On 29 April 2021, the Public Prosecutor of Oran charged human rights defenders Kaddour Chouicha, Jamila Loukil, and Said Boudour in a new criminal case, which includes the charge of “enrolment in a terrorist or subversive organization active abroad or in Algeria”. The case also includes twelve other activists involved in the “Hirak” protest movement. If convicted of this charge, the human rights defenders may be sentenced to up to twenty years’ imprisonment.