Algeria is once again denounced for human rights violations and abuse. This time, it is the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) that condemns Algiers authorities for « judicial harassment against trade unionists and human rights defenders”. The main reason of this harassment the militant activities of the concerned people, deplores the EMHRN which calls the authorities to “respect the rights of Algerian citizens to hold meetings and peaceful demonstrations”. The EMHRN which regroups 80 human rights organizations, in 30 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region, lists many cases of violations against trade unionists, students and journalists. The Network indicates the case of the student Omar Farouk Slimani, member of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights. Legal action is taken against him with twenty other young people arrested in last January during the protest march. Other members of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights are confronted to a long series of  legal actions which “seem to aim at reducing to silence the critical voices”, declares indignantly the EMHRN.

The Euro-Mediterranean Network calls the Algerian authorities to respect the United Nations Declaration on human rights defenders (1998), namely article 12 which recognizes “the right to participate to peaceful activities to struggle against human rights violations and fundamental liberties”. For the States, the concerned article establishes the obligation to protect the defenders of “all violence, threat, reprisals, discrimination de facto and de jure, pressure or other arbitrary action”. The  EMHRN calls also the Algerian authority to “undertake a real participative, transparent  process including all the deep democratic reforms with the participation of the whole independent organizations of the civil society”. It also asks the European Union “to give a quick and clear support to Human Rights Defenders, namely by supporting them during the legal action taken against them”.