On November 7, 2024, Alkarama submitted the case of Mr. Tidjani AMRI, an investigative journalist, to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC). Mr. AMRI was abducted on 27 May 2019, in Tébessa and taken to the Ben-Aknoun detention center, where he was tortured until 4 June 2019, by the military.
Targeted for his activism, including his denunciations of corruption among high-ranking Algerian officials and his participation in peaceful popular protests, Mr. AMRI became a victim of enforced disappearance.
A Human Rights Defender
A human rights defender, Mr. AMRI was a member of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) and the Association for the Promotion of Citizenship and Human Rights.
As a journalist, Mr. AMRI exposed corruption scandals involving high-ranking political and military figures, which led to reprisals against him.
In May 2019, while returning from a trip abroad, Mr. AMRI was first arrested at the Algerian-Tunisian border, detained for five days, and placed under judicial supervision.
Mr. AMRI was subsequently arbitrarily arrested several times due to his coverage of the "Hirak" protests and for displaying placards with the names of prominent civilian and military figures involved in corruption scandals.
Disappeared Following His Abduction
On 27 May 2019, while traveling with a friend to a gas station on the Annaba road (northeastern Algeria), Mr. AMRI was abducted in broad daylight by several armed men in civilian clothes.
He was first taken to the Tébessa barracks before being transferred to the "Antar" detention center in Ben-Aknoun, Algiers, a notorious site for torture practices and where thousands of Algerians disappeared in the 1990s. It continues to be used today to detain political opponents. Mr. AMRI remained there until 4 June 2019, when he was released without any legal proceedings being initiated.
During his detention at the Ben-Aknoun center, Mr. AMRI was isolated from the outside world and subjected to torture. He was visited by political and military officials he had denounced for their involvement in corruption and abuse of power. These individuals threatened him with death and participated in his torture in retaliation for his revelations about their actions.
During his interrogation, Mr. AMRI was questioned about his publications and participation in the Hirak protests. He was also asked about his alleged ties to opposition movements abroad and the sources of his information.
On 4 June 2019, Mr. AMRI was taken out of the barracks in an unmarked vehicle and dumped on the side of the road a few hundred meters away in a deplorable state, after being warned that the next time would be worse.
Despite his injuries, Mr. AMRI attempted to walk away before being spotted by a police vehicle. After explaining his condition to the police, they took him directly to the bus station, where he was sent to Tébessa, where he was hospitalized upon arrival.
Forced to Leave Algeria
On 10 December 2021, Mr. AMRI was summoned to the military court of Blida in Algiers, where he was informed that he was facing charges for allegedly affiliating with a terrorist group, referencing the Rachad movement.
Fearing a harsh sentence in an unfair trial, Mr. AMRI secretly fled Algeria to Switzerland on 31 December 2021.
Contacted by Algerian Intelligence in Switzerland
Since arriving in Switzerland, Mr. AMRI expressed concerns that his family, who remained in Algeria, could face reprisals after receiving threats.
In 2023, Mr. AMRI was contacted by Algerian intelligence services, who offered him a "safe return to Algeria" if he renounced his activities on social media.
Alkarama Submits the Case to the UN Human Rights Committee
On 10 June 2019, Mr. AMRI filed a complaint with the Tébessa prosecutor regarding his abduction and the torture he endured, but no investigation was opened. Despite the procedural regularity and the legal obligation for judicial authorities to open an investigation, they did not respond, leaving Mr. AMRI without a way to obtain justice in his country. This prompted him to seek assistance from Alkarama.
On November 7, 2024, Alkarama filed a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee on his behalf, documenting all violations of his fundamental rights, including his arbitrary deprivation of liberty, enforced disappearance, and the torture he endured for exercising his freedom of expression and association.
Alkarama also denounced Algeria’s repeated failures to honor its international obligations, particularly those enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Algeria has been a party since 1989.
Alkarama urged the Human Rights Committee to address the violations committed against Mr. AMRI and called on the Algerian authorities to conduct an investigation, prosecute the civilian and military perpetrators of these abuses, and provide reparation for the harm suffered by Mr. AMRI.