Claiming Human Rights - in Algeria

The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is a member of the United Nations and the African Union. It has ratified many UN Human Rights Conventions (compare list on the right) and thus has made binding international commitments to adhere to the standards laid down in these universal human rights documents.

Algeria is an Arabic- and French-speaking country in North Africa. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea. With an area of 2,381,741 square km it is the 11^th largest country in the world, the second largest on the African continent. On a global scale, its population density is low. The capital of the country, which became independent on 5 July 1962 from France, is Algiers. Algeria is a member of the regional economic community AMU.

With a Human Development Index of 0.75 Algeria ranks 104^th of 182 countries ranked in the UNDP Human Development Report of 2009. Life expectancy of the 34.4 million inhabitants at birth is 72 years, population growth is 1.5 percent per year. GNI is 4,260 US-$ per capita. External debt is 4.1 percent of gross national income. Primary school enrolment is 95.4 percent.

In as far as Algeria has ratified the Optional Protocols for UN Human Rights Conventions or has accepted the Competence of the corresponding UN Treaty Bodies (compare list on the right), the inhabitants of Algeria and their representatives are able to invoke their human rights through these bodies.

All inhabitants of Algeria may turn to the UN Human Rights Committee through procedure 1503, to the Special Rapporteurs for violations of specific human rights or to ECOSOC for women's rights violations.

Since Algeria is a member state of UNESCO, its citizens may use the UNESCO procedure for human rights violations in UNESCO's fields of mandate.

Employers' or workers' and certain other organizations (not individuals) of Algeria may file complaints through the ILO procedure in the cases of those conventions which Algeria has ratified.

Since Algeria is an AU member, its citizens and NGOs may file complaints to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They may also file complaints according to the EU guidelines (on Human Rights Defenders, Death Penalty and Torture) to Embassies of EU Member States and the Delegations of the European Commission.

In cases of human rights violations by multinational enterprises, they may also invoke the National Contact Point in an OECD member state.

Algeria has not yet joined the International Criminal Court.