8 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have demanded this Wednesday that the Algerian authorities reverse their decision to dissolve the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH), the main Algerian non-governmental organization, and have pointed that the accusations are “politically motivated”, before claiming that Algiers allow it to operate freely
The LADDH confirmed its dissolution on January 23 after “confirming” the authenticity of a document that circulates on social networks by third parties” regarding a decision adopted in June 2022 by a court ordering its dissolution following a petition to this effect by part of the Ministry of the Interior “The ruling that orders the dissolution of the LADDH has September 29 as the date,” he said.
The ruling mentions the ministry’s petition, which demanded the dissolution of the organization, arguing that the LADDH had committed “multiple branches with its name and legal legitimacy,” which would be a violation of the law. Thus, he made reference to different factions within the body in the past, although the NGOs maintain that they cannot be used to violate freedom of association by closing the LADDH.
On the other hand, the Government accused the group of “maintaining relations with organizations in Libya and Tunisia”, of “sending erroneous reports and information to United Nations entities” and holding meetings with different international Human Rights organizations that Algiers considers “hostile ” and “under the influence of the Moroccan-Zionist lobby and members of the French left in the European Parliament”.
The deputy director of HRW for the Near East and North Africa, Eric Goldstein, has lamented that “the Algerian authorities seem determined to close any independent activity that reveals violations of Human Rights.” “In this context, it was only a matter of time before they went after the oldest and most established Human Rights organization of all,” he stressed.
In this vein, the deputy director of Amnesty International for the Near East and North Africa, Amna Guellali, has expressed herself, warning that “Algeria is rapidly sinking ever deeper into a Human Rights crisis in which there is virtually no more space for work and activities at the level of Human Rights”. “The dismantling of the oldest human rights group in the country will go down in history as a shameful act that must be reversed immediately,” she has concluded.
The Algerian authorities dissolved in October 2021 the Youth Action Regrouping (RAJ), a non-governmental organization involved in the anti-government demonstrations that broke out in 2019 against the intention of the then president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to run for a fifth term. The organization filed an appeal to the courts, which will have to rule on February 23.
Separately, Caritas announced its closure in September 2022 after authorities criticized its delivery of medical services to migrants, while the SOS Bab el Oued cultural association in Algiers suspended its operations following a raid in April 2021. In May In December 2022, the governor of Oran asked a court to dissolve the Santé Sidi Huari association, dedicated to rehabilitating cultural heritage, although a court rejected the request in December.
The LADDH, the main body for the defense of Human Rights in the African country, was founded in 1985 and received authorization to operate in 1989. The body has been critical of the repression of protests and the banning of various organizations in recent years. years.
