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Release women prisoners of conscience in Algeria

Jan 22, 2021

This campaign is now closed, after more than 8000 letters of support were sent through the LabourStart campaign, Dalila Touat and Namia Abdelkader were both released mid-March 2021.

This campaign is now closed, after more than 8000 letters of support were sent through the LabourStart campaign, Dalila Touat and Namia Abdelkader were both released mid-March 2021.

Nassira Ghozlane, SNAPAP General Secretary, has written to PSI to say thank you for "an effective, influential and successful campaign".

Let's act quickly, let's act together to save women prisoners of conscience

Since the mass protests denouncing pervasive corruption in Algeria – also called the Hirak Movement – and the protests following the December presidential election, repression has intensified, sparing no one, including trade unionists.

Dalila Touat, a 45-year-old physics teacher at Mostaganem High School, whose trade union is a member of PSI affiliate, SNAPAP, the independent national trade union of public administration employees in Algeria, was sentenced, on January 3, 2021, to 18 months in prison for her opposition to the enforced presidential election. She is accused of “publications undermining the public order”.

She has been on hunger strike since the 3rd of January 2021 and her life is in danger; 14 days of hunger strike in winter is too much. A hunger strike is the ultimate sacrifice. Let us not remain silent.

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Dalila Touat

sentenced to 18 months in prison for her opposition to the enforced presidential election.

Another woman, Namia Abdelkader, has been incarcerated since 2 december 2020, and as many other women imprisoned before her, is neither a criminal, thief nor misfit. She has been detained like many other Algerians for speaking up, facing injustice and fighting corrupt generals in power who oppress us all, in the name of a state of law, justice and democracy.

They are in the jails of the oppressor, away from their loved ones and families; for their dignity and freedom and for the provision of justice for all, we should not only imagine that this is happening to others, we are all concerned with the fate of prisoners of conscience.

Namia Abdelkader

Incarcerated since 2 December 2020 - like many other Algerians for speaking up, facing injustice and fighting corruption

"Let us act quickly, let us act together to save women prisoners of conscience. Let us act against the pursuit of women activists. The judicial and police persecution must stop today and not tomorrow. This is not impossible if we act now in solidarity and unity", says Nassira Ghozlane, SNAPAP General Secretary.

We, the women of the independent national trade union of public administration employees in Algeria – Femmes SNAPAP, call on international organisations to put pressure on the Algerian authorities to release all the detainees of the Hirak movement and to implement the conditions of a political transition as demanded by citizens for two years.

by SNAPAP - Femmes


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PSI fully supports its affiliate's actions and calls on all affiliates to join the LabourStart campaign and demand the unconditional release of all those arrested for attempting to exercise their trade union and civic rights and provide guarantees of their safety.

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PSI affiliate in Algeria, SNAPAP, is calling on international organizations to put pressure on the Algerian authorities to release all the detainees of the Hirak movement and implement the conditions of a political transition as demanded by citizens for two years.

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