UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders Mary Lawlor starts this Sunday a ten-day visit to Algeria to urge local authorities to respect freedom of speech and stop human rights violations. They also expressed alarm about the erosion of the human rights situation in Algeria and the systematic crackdown against human rights defenders. The NGOs called on the Algerian regime to refrain from any acts of reprisal aimed at punishing or intimidating human rights defenders. Several human rights defenders have been forced to flee the country due to constant intimidation, harassment, prosecution and arbitrary detention for speaking up against repression. During her visit to Algeria, Ms. Lawlor will meet with government officials, the National Human Rights Council, members of civil society, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, academics, and other relevant stakeholders.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 26, 2023 15:31 UTC