In a letter to High Representative Borrell, they ask the Commission to take action to hold the Algerian state accountable for the repression of protesters.
“We call on the High Representative to take the necessary diplomatic steps to hold Algeria accountable for these human rights violations and to ensure that the human rights clause of the agreements is enforced,” reads the letter signed by 13 MEPs from different parties and addressed to High Representative Josep Borrell.
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It refers to the Algerian state’s persecution of protesters from the so-called Hirak movement in 2019 when the streets of Algeria were flooded with protests for an improvement in the quality of life and the end of a political system considered as corrupt and outdated.
MEPs expressed concern about the situation of at least 266 members of the Hirak movement who remain imprisoned, including several women’s rights activists. The protest to High Representative Borrell comes weeks after EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson visited the Algerian city of Oran. During her visit to Algeria, Simson had talks with Algerian energy officials, after which she said that the European Union counts on Algeria as a major and reliable partner for the supply of gas and hydrocarbons.
REUTERS/RAMZI BOUDINA – Demonstrators carry banners and flags during a demonstration demanding the ousting of the ruling elite and the prosecution of former officials linked to ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Simson’s visit was aimed at securing new supply routes for Europe’s struggling energy economy, which is going through its toughest times in the wake of the war in Ukraine and is relentlessly seeking alternatives to Russia. Member States such as Italy and France have already extended their relations with Algeria on the gas dossier. Meanwhile , the state ruled by the Tebboune-Chengriha duo has seen its revenues increase by leaps and bounds thanks to the energy market situation.
The first requirement of the signatory MEPs is the application of the human rights clause contained in the EU-Algeria Association Agreement, the main treaty which forms the backbone of relations between the EU-27 and Algeria since 2005. Indeed, article 2 of the treaty stipulates that “respect for democratic principles and fundamental human rights, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, inspires internal and international policies of the Parties and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement”.
AP/JEAN-FRANCOIS BADIAS – European lawmakers gather to vote in the European Parliament, Wednesday, July 6, 2022, in Strasbourg, eastern France
In November 2020, the European Union adopted a resolution expressing its concern about the lack of respect for human rights in Algeria by the authorities and in particular with regard to the Hirak file. According to Amnesty International reports quoted by the undersigned deputies, the Hirak demonstrators were arbitrarily arrested while taking part in peaceful demonstrations. The NGO also claims that a number of people associated with the movement were subjected to acts of torture and ill-treatment in police stations and Algerian government premises and that they were subjected to disproportionate investigations and intrusions into their privacy.
Most of the undersigned MEPs are members of the Human Rights and Foreign Affairs Committees. Among them, is the former Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the last Zapatero government, María Soraya Rodríguez, former MEP for Ciudadanos/Renew Europe. The president of the Human Rights Commission, the Belgian socialist María Arena, and the vice-president of the European Renewal group, Frédérique Ries, also signed.
