The Swiss non-governmental organization “Promotion du Développement Economique et Social” (PDES) has spoken out once morest the growing repression of human rights and freedoms in Algeria, denouncing in particular the arbitrary arrests and acts of intimidation once morest militants of the pro-democracy movement Hirak.
In a press release, made public on the occasion of the 50th session of the Human Rights Council, the NGO PDES said “to follow with great concern the ongoing repression carried out by the Algerian authorities once morest human rights defenders, journalists and Hirak activists, exposing them to prosecution for exercising their right to freedom of expression and demonstration”.
”This clearly manifests itself through the multiple convictions pronounced by the Algerian courts once morest activists of the Hirak movement for charges related to +disorders of public order+”, observes the Swiss organization.
The NGO deplores, in this sense, ”the sentencing of the political activist, Rachid Nekkaz, former presidential candidate, to 5 years in prison by the criminal chamber of the Court of Appeal of Algiers, on the eve of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of Algeria”, noting that “by this repressive act, the Algerian power proves, once once more, that the country is pursuing its policy of restriction of public space and oppression, legitimizing abuse, contrary to what is stipulated in the relevant guidelines of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
”Our NGO wishes to draw the attention of the international community to the aggravation of the situation of human rights defenders and activists of the Hirak movement in Algeria, due to the blockade imposed on them and the ‘use of the law to intimidate and prosecute them,’ the statement said.
Therefore, PDES calls on the Algerian authorities to “immediately release Rachid Nekkaz, as well as all activists of the Hirak movement, guarantee to all citizens their right of expression, association and assembly, and to refrain from intimidate activists and protesters with unfair prosecutions”.
