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 ........................................................................................