Violence against women sparked public consensual same-sex sexual relations outrage. By early December, 2,754 protection remained criminalized. orders had been issued, but were poorly BACKGROUND implemented. According to State Police, of all murders committed during the year, 30% Following legislative elections in June, which were by men against their domestic partners; saw the lowest turnout in 20 years, a new 16 women were killed. In May, one woman government was established in July. was murdered at Elbasan District Court after In August, Algeria cut diplomatic ties with her divorce hearing. Morocco. RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL According to the Algerian authorities, about 14.6% of the Algerian population was Justice reform continued slowly. The ECtHR vaccinated against Covid-19 by December. upheld the legitimacy of the vetting process FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION in the case of a constitutional judge who was dismissed, after assessing her claims for Authorities arrested and detained hundreds violations of the rights to fair trial and privacy. of political and civil society activists as well as journalists for expressing their views or for REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS doing their jobs, prosecuting them under 1 In August, the prime minister announced that vaguely worded Penal Code provisions. Albania would temporarily host 4,000 people From April onwards, authorities increasingly from Afghanistan. By October, 866 had resorted to terrorism-related charges to arrest arrived and were granted temporary and detain human rights defenders, protection status for one year. journalists and other individuals for their legitimate political activism or speech. Those targeted included members or perceived ALGERIA members of the unregistered political organizations Rachad and the Movement for the Self Determination of Kabylie (MAK), People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Head of state: Abdelmadjid Tebboune which in May the authorities declared were Head of government: Aïmene Benabderrahmane “terrorist” organizations. (replaced Abdelaziz Djerad in June) In April, a court in Oran city in west Algeria prosecuted a group of 15 activists, human Authorities continued to arrest, prosecute, rights defenders and journalists – including detain and convict activists linked to the Kaddour Chouicha, Jamila Loukil and Said mass, peaceful protest movement known as Boudour – for “terrorism” for exercising their 2 Hirak, as well as human rights defenders right to freedom of expression. In October, a and journalists for expressing their views or judge transferred their files to a dedicated covering protests. Courts increasingly anti-terrorism chamber inside a court in the resorted to terrorism-related charges to capital, Algiers. prosecute and detain activists and In September, judicial authorities used journalists for their alleged ties with two terrorism-related charges to provisionally unregistered political organizations. detain two journalists, Hassan Bouras and Authorities disbanded a prominent Mohamed Mouloudj, for their online association. They also ordered at least three criticisms of the authorities and alleged ties 3 churches to close and prosecuted at least with Rachad and the MAK. six Christians for exercising their right to Authorities also violated the right to freedom freedom of religion. Thousands of asylum of expression in other ways during 2021. In seekers and migrants were expelled to Niger April, a tribunal in Algiers ordered the without due process. Discrimination against provisional detention of five Hirak activists for women in law and practice continued, and videos they published online, including one Amnesty International Report 2021/22 69