On Tuesday in the UK, Amnesty International, known for documenting torture, ethnic cleansing and pressing human rights situations, has published a full report criticizing Morocco and Algeria for committing serious human rights abuses, and fundamental freedom violations, carrying out indiscriminate attacks against their own people.
In Morocco
The authorities harassed journalists, bloggers, artists and activists for expressing their views peacefully, sentencing at least five to prison terms for “insulting” public officials and apparently targeting others with spyware. They restricted the rights to freedom of association and assembly by preventing some groups critical of the authorities from operating and using unnecessary or excessive force to disperse demonstrations in Morocco and Western Sahara.
Following an unfair trial, a court upheld prison sentences of up to 20 years against 43 people convicted in relation to social justice protests in 2017 in the northern Rif region. Security forces arrested and detained thousands of migrants, forcibly transferring some to the south of Morocco and others to other countries. Women continued to face discrimination, including sexual and other gender-based violence, and prison sentences were issued in relation to alleged illegal abortions.
Police continued to harass lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex people (LGBTI) people; samesex sexual relations between consenting adults remained a criminal offence. A new law confirmed Amazigh as an official language, alongside Arabic. Courts handed down death sentences; there were no executions. The Polisario Front, which administers camps in Algeria for refugees from Western Sahara, detained at least two critics.
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In Algeria:
Security forces responded to the mass Hirak protest movement by using unnecessary or excessive force to disperse some demonstrations, arbitrarily arresting hundreds of protesters, prosecuting and sentencing dozens to prison terms using Penal Code provisions such as “harming the integrity of the national territory” and “incitement to an unarmed gathering”, simply for holding or carrying at a protest the Amazigh flag. Authorities prohibited the activities of several associations, often in relation to the Hirak protests.
Security forces tortured and otherwise ill-treated activists, particularly by beating them. Authorities ordered the closure of nine Christian churches. Security forces arrested and detained thousands of sub-Saharan migrants, forcibly transferring some to the far south of Algeria and expelling others to other countries.
Women’s rights groups were active in the Hirak movement, demanding an end to all forms of gender-based violence and the repeal of the Family Code, which discriminates against women in matters of inheritance, marriage, divorce, child custody and guardianship. Sames ex sexual relations continued to be criminalized. The right to form trade unions was unduly restricted. Death sentences were handed down; there were no executions.
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