Former Algerian military officer, Benhalima M. AZZOUZ, tortured in detention, Alkarama urgently appeals to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
On March 12, 2024, Alkarama urgently addressed the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to inform her of the abuses inflicted upon former military officer Benhalima MOHAMED AZZOUZ by members of the security services in Blida military prison (50 km south of Algiers), where he is currently held in isolation.
Mohamed Azzouz, an Algerian military officer illegally and hastily handed over by the Spanish authorities to Algeria in March 2022, publicly declared on March 7, while being brought before the criminal court of Algiers, that he had once again been subjected to torture and sexual abuse in Blida military prison by members of the security services. The presiding judge simply responded, "This has no relevance to the present proceedings before the court."
MOHAMED AZZOUZ, a whistleblower forced to flee Algeria
MOHAMED AZZOUZ has become a target of the Algerian authorities since he exposed several scandals within the Algerian army involving senior officers through videos posted on social media. As a "whistleblower," he published these videos on YouTube exposing corruption and involvement in various trafficking activities by civilian and military officials who are now at the helm of the Algerian state. He also participated in the "Hirak" protests, peaceful demonstrations spontaneously organized against the incumbent government, calling for the establishment of democracy and the rule of law.
However, this wave of peaceful demonstrations, accompanied by a proliferation of revelations on social media by various whistleblowers, led to violent repression by the Algerian authorities, who intensified arbitrary arrests and judicial prosecutions targeting activists in particular.
In these circumstances, MOHAMED AZZOUZ had to flee Algeria for Spain on September 1, 2019, after receiving phone threats and learning that he was on a list of people to be arrested for his participation in the Hirak protests and for revealing cases of corruption involving high-ranking officials of the Algerian army.
Asylum application and continued activities from Spain
Upon his arrival in Spain, with a visa regularly issued by the Spanish Embassy in Algiers, he applied for asylum on September 19, 2019, a request registered by asylum services. He was issued a provisional residence permit valid for six months, which was regularly renewed pending a final decision.
From Spain, he continued his activism by posting videos on YouTube to denounce corruption and repression in Algeria and by joining the local Amnesty International group in Bilbao.
He was convicted in absentia for these reasons, sentenced to 10 years in prison on the false charge of "membership and financing of a terrorist group targeting state security and national unity."
Currently, the authorities continue to use the pretext of the fight against terrorism to prosecute individuals legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as peaceful assembly and association.
Flight to France and arrest in Spain
On August 12, 2021, MOHAMED AZZOUZ learned that his compatriot, Mohamed ABDELLAH, another whistleblower, had been arrested by the Spanish authorities and forcibly returned to Algeria just hours after the notification of a ministerial deportation order, without even considering the appeals filed by his lawyers. He then left Spain for France, where he voluntarily presented himself to the police prefecture of Yvelines, which issued him an asylum application certificate. A few days later, after administrative detention, the Paris police prefect issued an order placing MOHAMED AZZOUZ under house arrest with an obligation to report to the central police station of the 15th arrondissement on certain days of the week.
Having been "warned" that he would likely be arrested, MOHAMED AZZOUZ hastily left France for Spain, hoping to move to another destination. However, he was arrested in Zaragoza on March 14, 2022, under suspicious circumstances indicating that he was under constant surveillance upon his arrival in Spanish territory. He was placed in police custody at the Zaragoza Police Station before being interned at the Valence Administrative Detention Center on March 16, 2022, after being notified that he would be deported to Algeria at the request of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
MOHAMED AZZOUZ, a victim of torture in detention
On the evening of March 24, 2022, MOHAMED AZZOUZ was promptly handed over to Algeria by a specially chartered plane, despite the request for a provisional suspension measure filed by his Spanish lawyers.
Upon his arrival in Algeria, he was transferred to the headquarters of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), where he reported being stripped, tortured, subjected to sexual abuse, and forced to make confessions. In early April, he was taken to El Harrach prison, where he was held incommunicado until April 28, 2022. In May 2022, he was transferred to Blida military prison, where he was placed in isolation. All visits from his mother to the prison were conducted under heavy surveillance with at least two military personnel present.
On June 19, 2022, during an initial trial before the Koléa court (30 km east of Algiers), MOHAMED AZZOUZ publicly declared that he had been tortured and had not received any medical visits despite his request to the investigating judge. The judge refused to hear him, stating that he was not tasked with examining this issue. On August 28, 2022, he was again brought before the Bir-Mourad-Rais court (Algiers), where he once again declared that he had been tortured and sexually abused. Despite being legally obliged to do so, the prosecution did not initiate an investigation into these serious allegations.
Most recently, during his hearing on March 7, 2024, before the criminal court of Algiers, MOHAMED AZZOUZ again publicly stated that he had recently been subjected to torture and sexual abuse by military personnel at Blida prison. However, his statements were not taken into account by the presiding judge.
Alkarama adresses the UN Special Rapporteur
In its urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur, Alkarama highlighted the blatant refusal of the Algerian judicial authorities to consider Benhalima MOHAMED AZZOUZ's claims of torture, indicating that this constitutes a violation of Articles 12 and 13 of the Convention against Torture, ratified by Algeria on September 12, 1989, which obliges states to investigate all allegations of torture.
Alkarama called on the Special Rapporteur and several other UN special procedures to urge the Algerian authorities to refrain from any act of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment against Benhalima MOHAMED AZZOUZ, while urgently ensuring that he is treated with the dignity and due respect, in accordance with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.