In September 2025, Algeria witnessed a renewed wave of systematic repression targeting political activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. This scene revives the painful memories of the past and signals a dangerous slide toward a police state that seizes freedoms and empties the public space of any dissenting voices. SHOAA for Human Rights Organization believes this escalation can only be understood as a deliberate policy aimed at suffocating what remains of civic and political space and criminalizing all independent activity.
In this context, Fethi Ghares, National Coordinator of the Democratic and Social Movement, was arrested on Monday, September 29, 2025, after his home was raided by security officers in civilian clothing. He was placed under judicial control pending trial on vague charges often used as political weapons, including “insulting a state institution” and “spreading false information that threatens public order.” These charges clearly demonstrate that the judiciary has turned into a tool of political retaliation rather than a guardian of rights and freedoms.
In Constantine, on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, the Criminal Court sentenced journalist and activist Abdelkrim Zeghilèche to one year in prison and a heavy fine, based on an old Facebook post dating back to 2019. Tried under fast-track procedures, he was sentenced in just one day — a complete judicial scandal that invalidates any claim of judicial independence in Algeria.
The overall September toll is alarming: at least 15 cases of arrests and summons, one activist placed in pre-trial detention under the infamous Article 87 bis on “terrorism,” two activists referred to immediate trial, six placed under judicial control, alongside arbitrary prosecutions and sentences against others. These are not isolated incidents but rather indicators of an escalating authoritarian trend that makes repression a state policy aimed at silencing free voices and draining the political arena of any opposition.
This path seeks to suffocate civic and political space and criminalize freedom of expression, with a politicized judiciary serving as a repressive arm instead of a shield for rights. Such a trajectory threatens to drag Algeria into wider international isolation and growing scrutiny over its human rights commitments. SHOAA for Human Rights Organization considers that the situation has reached a dangerous level requiring urgent and concrete reforms, as freedoms are being systematically assassinated, the judiciary transformed into a punitive weapon, and “public order” turned into a ready-made pretext for silencing dissent.
SHOAA also recalls the 37th anniversary of the October 5, 1988 events, just three days away, when thousands of Algerians — youth, students, and workers — took to the streets demanding freedom, dignity, and social justice. Their voices were met with live bullets and brutal violence, leaving hundreds dead and deep wounds in the national memory. This anniversary is not merely a historical milestone but a stark reminder that repression cannot extinguish the people’s voice — and that persisting in the same path risks reproducing tragedy and pushing the country towards a new social explosion.
Therefore, SHOAA for Human Rights Organization demands:
The immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience.
The dropping of fabricated charges based on vague provisions, foremost among them Article 87 bis.
The end of security apparatus dominance over political life and the guarantee of an independent judiciary free from political manipulation.
The reopening of civic, political, and media space, enabling actors to operate freely without restrictions or harassment.
