ALGERIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 3 November 2011 ALGERIA 03 NOVEMBER 2011 Contents Preface Useful news sources for further information Reports published on Algeria published between 24 October and 2 November 2011 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 - 2009: presidential elections and the 2005 Charter for Peace and Reconciliation .................................................... 3.06 Events between 2009 and spring 2011 ............................................................... 3.13 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: MARCH 2011 – SEPTEMBER 2011 ....................................... 4.01 ‘The Arab Spring’ .................................................................................................. 4.01 Social unrest and possible rise of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb .............. 4.04 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) ................................... 8.08 The Communal Guard and Legitimate Defence Groups .................................... 8.10 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.12 Other government forces ..................................................................................... 8.16 Intelligence agencies .......................................................................................... 8.16 Human rights violations by the security forces ................................................. 8.19 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.19 Torture and extra-judicial killings ........................................................................ 8.25 Impunity .............................................................................................................. 8.31 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.34 National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH) ...................................................... 8.36 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 Conscientious objection ...................................................................................... 9.08 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 24 October 2011. 03 NOVEMBER 2011 ALGERIA Draft evasion and desertion ................................................................................ 9.10 10. NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED GROUPS ........................................................................... 10.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 10.01 Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) ............................................................ 10.03 Human rights violations by non-government armed groups ........................... 10.11 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 ............................................................................................................... 13.09 14. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION.............................................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 15.01 Mothers of the disappeared ............................................................................... 15.06 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 15.07 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.13 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 16.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 16.01 Print media ............................................................................................................ 16.09 Radio and television ............................................................................................. 16.15 Internet .................................................................................................................. 16.19 Journalists ............................................................................................................ 16.27 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 17.01 International Non Government Organisations ................................................... 17.11 18. CORRUPTION ............................................................................................................ 18.01 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION .............................................................................................. 19.01 Religious demography ......................................................................................... 19.01 Legal requirements .............................................................................................. 19.02 Ordinance 06-03 ................................................................................................ 19.04 Christians .............................................................................................................. 19.05 Proselytising and conversion .............................................................................. 19.10 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 ......................................................................... 21.09 Transgender persons ......................................................................................... 21.16 Lesbians ............................................................................................................. 21.17 22.