SHOAA Organization expresses its deep concern regarding the physical well-being and safety of the 18 prisoners of conscience, who have been on a full hunger strike for 8 days in protest against their pretrial and unjustified detention by Algerian authorities. These individuals have been held without release for 13 months, since their arrest in October 2023. The hunger strike began on November 6, 2024, as a desperate plea to draw attention to their plight, stemming from their arbitrary detention for the peaceful exercise of their fundamental rights.
The detainees, most of whom are senior members of the “Islamic Salvation Front” (FIS), a political party dissolved by Algerian authorities in March 1992, were placed in pre-trial detention at the Koléa prison on October 12, 2023. Their arrest followed the issuance of a statement on September 30, 2023, in which they called for the lifting of restrictions on political activity and press freedoms. The statement further called for national dialogue, the release of political prisoners, and the freedom of those detained in connection with the Hirak movement. The detainees were charged with establishing an organization aimed at promoting illegal activities under Article 87 bis of the Penal Code, as well as charges of undermining national unity, publishing materials that could harm public order, and exploiting the wounds of the national tragedy through statements and writings intended to endanger state security.
According to the families of the detainees, following a recent visit, the health conditions of the hunger strikers are deteriorating rapidly. Many of the detainees are elderly and suffer from chronic illnesses, which exacerbates the risks associated with their hunger strike. As of today, they have been striking for 8 days. Furthermore, the families report that the detainees have been subjected to harassment and pressure, with three of them Ahmed Zaoui, Guerfa Badreddine, and Ali Benhadjer being transferred on the evening of Monday, November 11, 2024, to El-Harrach prison in an apparent attempt to force them to end their hunger strike.
SHOAA Organization stands in solidarity with the hunger strikers and reiterates their unequivocal right to freedom, demanding their immediate release after over a year of detention without trial.
SHOAA Organization hold the Algerian authorities responsible for the health and medical conditions of the detainees and call for their immediate access to appropriate medical care.
SHOAA Organization further urges the Algerian authorities to immediately release the 18 prisoners of conscience, along with all other individuals detained for the peaceful exercise of their basic rights, particularly the right to freedom of expression.
