ALGERIA COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service
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ALGERIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 14 March 2011 ALGERIA 14 MARCH 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ALGERIA FROM 25 FEBRUARY 2011 TO 14 MARCH 2011 Useful news sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.08 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 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: presidential elections and the 2005 Charter for Peace and Reconciliation.................................................... 3.06 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, 1 DECEMBER 2010 – 24 FEBRUARY 2011............................ 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION.......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Political parties..................................................................................................... 6.04 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 8.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 8.01 Police..................................................................................................................... 8.03 National police.................................................................................................... 8.04 National Gendermerie (including the Republican Guard)................................... 8.07 The Communal Guard and Legitimate Defence Groups .................................... 8.09 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.10 Other government forces..................................................................................... 8.13 Intelligence agencies.......................................................................................... 8.13 Human rights violations by the security forces................................................. 8.16 Arbitrary arrest and detention............................................................................. 8.16 Torture and extra-judicial killings........................................................................ 8.22 Impunity.............................................................................................................. 8.27 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.30 National Consultative commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH) ...................................................... 8.33 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 Conscientious objection...................................................................................... 9.07 Draft evasion and desertion ................................................................................ 9.08 10. NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES ........................................................................... 10.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 10.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 24 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 14 March 2011. 14 MARCH 2011 ALGERIA AL Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) .......................................................... 10.03 Human rights violations by non-government armed groups............................ 10.09 11. JUDICIARY................................................................................................................ 11.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 11.01 Shari’a ................................................................................................................ 11.03 Independence and fair trial.................................................................................. 11.07 Penal code ............................................................................................................ 11.14 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 12.01 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 13.01 Women............................................................................................................... 13.08 14. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 15.01 Freedom of association and assembly............................................................... 15.05 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.12 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA............................................................................... 16.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 16.01 Print media............................................................................................................ 16.08 Radio and television............................................................................................. 16.13 Internet .................................................................................................................. 16.15 Treatment of Journalists...................................................................................... 16.22 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 17.01 International NGOs............................................................................................... 17.11 18. CORRUPTION............................................................................................................ 18.01 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION.............................................................................................. 19.01 Religious demography......................................................................................... 19.03 Christianity............................................................................................................ 19.04 Proselytising and conversions............................................................................ 19.07 20. ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 20.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 20.01 Berbers.................................................................................................................. 20.05 Background ........................................................................................................ 20.05 Current situation................................................................................................. 20.08 21. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS .............................................. 21.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 21.01 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities............................................... 21.05 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 21.08 Transgender persons........................................................................................... 21.14 Lesbians................................................................................................................ 21.15 22. DISABILITY ............................................................................................................... 22.01 Mental disability.................................................................................................... 22.05 23. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 23.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 23.01 Legal rights ..........................................................................................................