Algeria appeals court criticized for upholding judgment against jailed trade unionist News
Muhammed amine benloulou, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Algeria appeals court criticized for upholding judgment against jailed trade unionist

Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned an Algerian court for a decision in the second instance that upheld the imprisonment of trade unionist and president of the National Union of Civil Servants in the Field of Culture and Arts (SNFC), Ali Mammeri. The decision also reduced the sentence from 15 years to 10 years.

Mammeri was arrested in March 2025 for “glorification of terrorist acts” and “dissemination of classified information” following Facebook posts in support of other jailed activists, as well as communications with the International Labour Organization over workers’ rights. The charges are based on a larger bundle of “anti-terrorism” legislation, which Algeria has been accused of abusing to crush dissent. The laws stem largely from Article 87 of Algeria’s Penal Code, which the United Nations Human Rights Committee called “overly broad and vague.”

Following his initial arrest, Mammeri was held without charge, and his family was denied information as to his whereabouts. Mammeri alleges he was subjected to various forms of torture during interrogation and forced to give a confession. His family has launched a formal complaint about the allegations, but they have thus far been ignored.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, commented:

The court’s deeply unjust decision to uphold Ali Mammeri’s conviction on baseless charges is another clear assault on peaceful dissent and independent union activity in Algeria […] and sends an alarming signal to other trade unionists in the country.

In addition to the UN Charter and the ICCPR, Algeria is also a party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. As such, Algeria is obliged under international law to adhere to the standards of the treaties and remedy any breach.

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