In response to the Algerian government’s crackdown on opposition and independent forces in the country, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OMCT-FIDH), in cooperation with 81 Algerian, regional and international human rights organisations, sent a letter to the member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for urgent action on Algeria at the upcoming 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The signatory organisations urged member states to adopt a demand to promptly open independent, impartial and effective investigations into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment perpetrated by the Algerian authorities against citizens peacefully expressing their opinions or demonstrating.
The letter also called on the United Nations to take a more assertive public stance to protect Algerians and their rights to peaceful expression, association and assembly. Attached to the letter is a briefing containing more information on the developments in Algeria’s human rights situation between March and May 2021.