ALGERIA – DECEMBER UPDATE
Action required
IHRC is very concerned about recent developments in Algeria. We urge the international community to put pressure on Algeria to release Ahmadi detainees and to uphold the fundamental right of freedom of religion.
Summary
After a two-year hiatus, the Algerian government has resumed its aggressive persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, announcing two-year prison sentences for its national president and other members on October 8. The Community must pay $100,000 in fines, while members still await court dates.
Background
- From 2016 to 2018, the Government of Algeria (GOA) undertook an aggressive campaign of persecution against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which included raids, detentions, arrests, court cases and sentencing, pressuring employers to dismiss Ahmadis, the teardown of a community center, and nonstop state media propaganda fuelled by the then-Minister of Religious Affairs Mohamed Aissa.
- Earlier this month, the GOA handed down 2-year prison sentences for Ahmadis in Constantine. In Khanshala, Ahmadis have not been allowed to leave their town since 2017, which has led one member to suffer severe mental health issues.
- In all, the GOA’s Supreme Court has heard or pending more than 280 cases against Algerian Ahmadis since 2016, of whom 36 have spent between two and seven months in jail, all on trumped up charges but in reality due to their religious affiliation.
- The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Internal Affairs rejected applications by the Community to register in 2012 and again in 2016.
