Amnesty International Condemns Algeria’s Crackdown on Dissent

Amnesty International has denounced Algeria’s “alarming” suppression of peaceful dissent following the arrest of 23 activists and journalists tied to the online protest movement Manich Radi (“I do not agree”), Arab News reported. The campaign, launched in December 2024, criticized human rights restrictions and socioeconomic hardships.

The rights group accused authorities of using arbitrary arrests and expedited trials to impose lengthy prison sentences, including 18-month terms for activists Soheib Debbaghi and Mahdi Bazizi. Debbaghi was convicted of “publishing content harmful to national interest.”

Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s MENA director, stated: “The trajectory of suffocating online activism is alarming… Nothing justifies detaining people for expressing dissatisfaction.” The crackdown coincides with the sixth anniversary of Algeria’s pro-democracy Hirak movement.

Amnesty highlighted concerns over accelerated judicial procedures denying detainees adequate defense time and urged Algeria to “stop punishing legitimate freedom of expression.”