Unpublished fact: senators and deputies organize this Tuesday 1is December a sit-in of protest in front of the headquarters of the European Union delegation on the heights of Algiers.
The angry initiative launched by a senator from the FLN, Abdelouahab Benzaïm, is intended as a response to an emergency resolution voted on November 26 by the European Parliament denouncing the human rights situation in Algeria.
“MEPs have united for a cause that does not concern them, while we are going to come together for a cause that concerns us first and foremost,” Senator FLN wrote on Facebook, denouncing “the odious interference” of the European Parliament.
Elected officials from the ruling parties (RND and FLN) will also be joined by Islamist deputies from the MSP and Al Adala, according to local media. A written protest motion will be delivered by the occasion to the EU Ambassador in Algiers, John O’Rourke.
“Torture, intimidation, judicial harassment”
The European resolution, the second in almost a year addressing human rights in Algeria, and entitled “Deterioration of the human rights situation in Algeria, in particular the case of journalist Khaled Drareni”, paints a little picture. shining light on the human rights situation in Algeria.
Thus, the EU Parliament “strongly condemns the escalation of illegal and arbitrary arrests and detentions and of legal harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, trade unionists, lawyers, members of the civil society and peaceful activists in Algeria ”.
The resolution refers to cases of “torture” in police stations and calls on public freedoms by calling on the Algerian authorities to “put an end to all forms of intimidation, judicial harassment, criminalization and arbitrary arrest or detention in against journalists who criticize the government, bloggers, human rights defenders, lawyers and activists ”.
The call is also made to “immediately and unconditionally release Mohamed Khaled Drareni and all those who have been detained and charged with exercising their right to freedom of expression, whether online or offline, and to freedom of assembly and association, including Yacine Mebarki, Abdellah Benaoum, Mohamed Tadjadit, Abeldhamid Amine, Abdelkrim Zeghileche, Walid Kechida, Brahim Laalami, Aissa Chouha, Zoheir Kaddam, Walid Nekkiche, Nourredine Khimoud and Hakim Addad ”.
“A tone fundamentally hateful and tinged with paternalism”
MEPs say they expect the European Union “to place the human rights situation at the heart of its dialogue with the Algerian authorities, especially during the next session of the EU-Algeria Association Council. “.
These remonstrances prompted the Algerian Foreign Ministry to react, which, in a long press release, expressed all its anger: “This document would make you smile if it were not riddled with serious and malicious allegations and accusations (…) charges ranging from arbitrary detention to acts of torture allegedly committed against members of the hirak. ”
« [L’Algérie] wishes to bring the most contemptuous denial to all the fallacious accusations. It deplores the fundamentally hateful tone and tinged with paternalism of this text, which denotes a proven hostility worthy of the colonial period in certain European circles towards the Algerian people and their sovereign choices ”, continue the Algerian EAs, who do not specify whether Algiers will react differently to the European resolution.
“I do not understand the urgency [de la résolution]. Then, why she is particularly motivated by “the case of journalist Khaled Drareni”. And finally, the resolution seems excessive. Whatever we say, Algeria is not this hell that it gives us to see. Apart from these three remarks, I fully subscribe to the “invitations” that the resolution extends to our country. Personally, I could not have asked for better! », Estimated on the columns ofEl Watan political scientist Mohamed Hennad.
The opposition in dispersed ranks
On the opposition side, the reactions are divided into two tendencies, if not three, taking into account the lack of reaction from a strong party like the Front des forces socialistes (FFS). Certain political movements go in the same direction of the authorities to denounce what they qualify as interference. “The European Parliament’s resolution is an affront to the honor of Algerians and an attempt to put Algeria under protectorate. It is up to the patriots to protect our sovereignty. Change yes, chaos no! », Is indignant the opponent Soufiane Djilali of Jil Jadid (New Generation).
But for Mohcine Belabbas, president of the RCD (secular opposition), the indignation is poorly targeted. He comments on the response of Algerian Foreign Affairs as follows: “Outrage, you say. How then can we qualify the conviction of journalist Khaled Drareni to two years in prison? How can one qualify the maintenance under arrest warrant of several prisoners of conscience, like Rachid Nekkaz, for more than a year, and the refusal to schedule their trial? How to qualify the hermetic closure of the media to the plural debate and the refusal to give authorizations, including, for the meetings of the management bodies of the political parties? ”
“The problem is rather in the silence of the Algerian Parliament for almost two years on violations of the laws and repeated attacks on rights and freedoms. More seriously, he votes for freedom-killing laws which come to the aid of judicial repression, ”continues Mohcine Belabbas.
EU talks about ‘building confidence’
Before the European Parliament, which was about to vote on this resolution, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, representing the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, insisted on specify that “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, is an important element of EU-Algeria relations”.
“We regularly bring up the human rights situation and individual cases in our contacts at different levels with the Algerian authorities, in Brussels and in Algiers”, declared Janez Lenarčič, while qualifying: “The EU has an interest in strong and strategic cooperation with Algeria and attempts to strengthen the bilateral partnership. In a process of sustained confidence building, the EU is ready to support the reforms that the Algerian authorities will want to undertake, bearing in mind that the ultimate objective is to meet the legitimate expectations of the Algerian people ”. Such a difficult balancing act.
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