Ms. Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has called on Algerian authorities to release all human rights militants imprisoned for the exercise of their freedom of expression, opinion and association. “Some human rights defenders I intended to meet, refused or cancelled at the last minute, for fear of reprisals,” she said, affirming that a number of human rights defenders, members of civil society organizations and victims of human rights violations were prevented from reaching her. Ms. Lawlor said that the majority of human rights defenders she met complained about the Algerian authorities’ constant monitoring, harassment, and disruption of their peaceful activities. The UN special rapporteur called on the Algerian regime to stop intimidating and targeting human rights defenders for their work in line with UN Human Rights principles. She denounced the restrictions imposed on freedom of expression saying they violate international human rights law.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 06, 2023 02:19 UTC