Algerian NGOs in diaspora urge Macron to support human rights during visit to Algeria

Several organisations representing Algeria's diaspora community have urged French president Emmanuel Macron "not to ignore" the question of human rights in Algeria during his scheduled visit to the country.

Over the weekend, thirteen NGOs – including Debout l'Algérie, Citizen Action for Algeria, Groupe Algérie Droit Devant, the Collective of Families of Disappeared in Algeria or the Coordination of Algerians of the World – sent an open letter to Macron highlighting the deterioration of human rights in the north African country.

"Mr President, there is nevertheless a serious subject which should not be overlooked during this visit: that of the current state of human rights in Algeria," wrote the organisations in an open letter, according to AFP.

The letter detailed the Algerian regime's "repressive policy" that sabotaged the Hirak movement and continued to prosecute journalists and activists who criticise Algiers' new president Abdel Majid Tebboun.

Algerian authorities are holding at least 280 activists and dozens of journalists in detention, mostly for defamation of politicians or because of pro-Hirak publications on social networks.

Human rights NGOs and activists say Algeria lives today in a "darker era" than the Bouteflika regime, which was ousted in 2019 following pro-reform Hirak protests.

On their part, Algerian authorities deny the existence of prisoners of conscience in the country.

Macron is expected to arrive in Algeria on Thursday, in an olive branch trip to fix the trouble his statements caused last year.

In October 2021, Algeria recalled its ambassador in Paris after leaked statements of Macron was heard with him dismissing Algeria's history  of resistance and criticising the current regime ruling the country.

Published by Le Monde, Macron reportedly said the country was ruled by a "political-military system" and claimed that Algeria's "official history" had been "totally re-written".

A month later, a French official said that Macron "regrets the misunderstanding".

Algiers' relationship with Paris is scarred by the trauma of a bloody 132-year-long occupation, during which Hundreds of thousands of Algerians were killed and tortured.

Macron said he hopes that his visit this week relaunches the Franco-Algerian bilateral relationship and "continue the work of healing memories".