Summary

The Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association conducted a visit to Algeria in September 2023, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 15/21 and 50/17. He was the first United Nations special rapporteur to visit Algeria since 2016 and therefore since the commencement in February 2019 of the Hirak, which brought hundreds of thousands of Algerians to the streets, demanding political reform.

During the visit, both government and civil society actors informed the Special Rapporteur of their strong desire to build a “new Algeria” based on the aspirations of the Hirak. The Special Rapporteur commends the Government for several initiatives in that regard, including the human rights protections provided in the 2020 Constitution and the establishment of the National Civil Society Observatory and the Youth High Council. He notes the election of Algeria to the Human Rights Council in 2022 and an increasing willingness to engage in dialogue on human rights, including the efforts made to facilitate his country visit and the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. However, the Special Rapporteur repeatedly heard that the Government had continued to use repressive, unconstitutional laws from the pre-Hirak era to repress peaceful dissent. Human rights activists and journalists continue to be arbitrarily detained and civil society associations arbitrarily dissolved or refused registration.

The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the desire of the Government of Algeria to ensure safety and stability. However, long-term safety and security cannot be achieved without respecting human rights and ensuring that all persons, including critics of the Government, can exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. For true and long-standing peace and security, Governments must treat civil society as a valued partner and not as a threat. The Special Rapporteur remains committed to