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ALGERIA COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service

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ALGERIA COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service ALGERIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 17 January 2013 ALGERIA 17 JANUARY 2013 Contents Preface Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.08 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 CURRENCY ............................................................................................................... 2.07 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Early history to 1989 ............................................................................................ 3.01 Events between 1988 - 1998: elections, military takeover and civil conflict ... 3.02 Events between 1999 - 2010 ............................................................................... 3.07 The charter for peace and national reconciliation .......................................... 3.14 The ‘Arab Spring’ 2011 ......................................................................................... 3.17 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS .......................................................................................... 4.01 Political developments ......................................................................................... 4.01 Run-up to the 2012 parliamentary elections ................................................... 4.01 Parliamentary elections May 2012 ................................................................. 4.06 Cabinet reform ............................................................................................... 4.13 Local elections November 2012 ..................................................................... 4.16 5. CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Executive ............................................................................................................... 6.03 Legislature ............................................................................................................ 6.04 Political parties ..................................................................................................... 6.05 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 8.01 Overview of security situation ............................................................................ 8.01 Police ..................................................................................................................... 8.02 National police force ........................................................................................... 8.03 National Gendarmerie (including the Republican Guard) ................................... 8.06 The Communal Guard and Legitimate Defence Groups .................................... 8.09 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.11 Other government forces ..................................................................................... 8.17 Intelligence agencies .......................................................................................... 8.17 Human rights violations by the security forces ................................................. 8.20 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.20 Torture and extra-judicial killings ........................................................................ 8.27 Impunity .............................................................................................................. 8.35 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.39 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 December 2012. 17 JANUARY 2013 ALGERIA National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH) ...................................................... 8.41 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 Conscientious objection ...................................................................................... 9.08 Draft evasion and desertion ................................................................................ 9.10 10. NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED GROUPS ........................................................................... 10.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 10.01 Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) ............................................................ 10.07 Human rights violations by non-government armed groups............................ 10.13 11. JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 11.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 11.01 Ordinary courts ................................................................................................... 11.05 Appeal courts ..................................................................................................... 11.06 Accusation chamber ........................................................................................... 11.07 Criminal court ..................................................................................................... 11.08 Supreme court .................................................................................................... 11.09 Military courts ..................................................................................................... 11.11 Shari‘a ................................................................................................................ 11.13 Independence and fair trial .................................................................................. 11.16 Penal code ............................................................................................................ 11.24 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 12.01 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 13.01 Women in detention ........................................................................................... 13.08 14. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression .......................................................................... 15.01 2012 Parliamentary elections ............................................................................. 15.07 Mothers of the disappeared ............................................................................... 15.09 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 15.10 Association ........................................................................................................... 15.11 Assembly .............................................................................................................. 15.21 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.26 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 16.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 16.01 Print media ............................................................................................................ 16.09 Radio and television ............................................................................................. 16.15 Internet .................................................................................................................. 16.19 Journalists ............................................................................................................ 16.25 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 17.01 International NGOs ............................................................................................... 17.09 Treatment of human rights activists ................................................................... 17.14 18. CORRUPTION ............................................................................................................ 18.01 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION .............................................................................................. 19.01 Religious demography ........................................................................................
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