Al-Taher Belabbas to Stand Trial
On 15 April, Warqala Court in eastern Algeria sentenced Taher Belabbas to two months in prison. The human rights defender will appeal the verdict. On 5 March 2018, the human rights defender was banned from traveling while en route to the World Social Forum 2018 in Brazil at Algiers international airport.
Al-Taher Belabbas is the national coordinator of the National Committee to Defend the Rights of the Unemployed in Algeria. He has advocated for the rights to housing, labor movements and the rights to organise in union activism and student groups.
UPDATE: On 15 April, Warqala Court in eastern Algeria sentenced Taher Belabbas to two months in prison. The human rights defender will appeal the verdict.
UPDATE: The hearing of human rights defender Al-Taher Belabbas scheduled for 11 March 2018 has been adjourned until 25 March 2018.
UPDATE: Human rights defender Al-Taher Belabbas was acquitted on the "incitement to protests" charge on 25 February 2018 at Warqala court in Algeria. The 4 March hearing for the separate incitement charge has been adjourned to 11 March. On 5 March 2018, the human rights defender was banned from traveling while en route to the World Social Forum 2018 in Brazil at Algiers international airport.
UPDATE: The verdict and sentencing hearing of human rights defender Al-Taher Belabbas is scheduled for 25 February 2018. An additional court hearing for the human rights defender in a separate case on the charge of “incitement to riots” is scheduled for 4 March 2018.
On 18 February 2018, human rights defender Al-Taher Belabbas will stand trial at Warqala court in Algeria on the charge of “incitement to protests” for his work on economic and social rights in the context of labor movements.
Al-Taher Belabbas is the national coordinator of the National Committee to Defend the Rights of the Unemployed in Algeria. He has advocated for the rights to housing, labor movements and the rights to organise in union activism and student groups.
Al-Taher Belabbas will stand trial on 18 February 2018 for his work in the defence and promotion of economic and social rights, union activism and solidarity with student movements. In a separate ongoing case at Warqala court in Algeria, the human rights defender also faces charges of “illegal gathering" and "disruption of the public order.”
A travel ban has also been imposed on the human rights defender. He was informed of this at Houari Boumediene Airport on 15 December 2016 while en route to Morocco to participate in the fourth Maghreb Social Forum.
Front Line Defenders condemns the ongoing judicial harassment of Al-Taher Belabbas as it believes it to be solely motivated by his legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights in Algeria.
