Human Rights Abuses in Kabylia
Political repression of the Kabyle people has intensified over recent years, manifesting in various forms of censorship, persecution and discrimination. The latest Freedom House Annual Report scored Algeria a 10/40 on political rights and 22/60 on civil liberties, designating Algeria “not free”.
Paul O'Brien, Director of Amnesty International USA, recently voiced Amnesty's support for Kabyle prisoners unjustly incarcerated in Algerian prisons.
The Algerian government pursues policies aimed at homogenising the education system, media, and administrative practices aimed at eroding the cultural and linguistic distinctiveness of the Kabyle people - who they perceive as a threat to the “Algerian” cultural identity.
Those found criticising the authorities are liable to be persecuted, and vaguely worded laws allow for arbitrary arrests. Many arrests go unreported, but those which do make headlines demonstrate the dubious legal processes followed by the state:
Silmane Bouhafs: On August 25, 2021, three men in a black vehicle abducted Bouhafs – Chairman of the St. Augustine Coordination of Christians in Algeria which defends minority rights and freedom of religion in the country – in broad daylight from his home in Tunisia. He was retuned to Algeria, violating the Geneva Convention (which prohibits the returning of a refugee to a country they might suffer persecution in). Bouhafs served a three-year prison sentence on charges of “belonging to a terrorist organisation”; “receiving funds from abroad for the purpose of political propaganda”, “hate speech and discrimination”, “use of technology to spread false information”, and “conspiracy”, among others. He was released from prison on 1 September 2024.
Kamira Nait Sid: Nait Sid founded the Association of Women of Kabylia (AFK), and co-founded the World Amazigh Congress. In August 2021, she was abducted by security forces and detained in an unknown location for seven days, accused of “undermining national unity and state security”. She served 3 years and was released in 2024. However, she is still on the ISTN (interdit de sortir du territoire national) no travel list. According to her lawyer, she had been forced to wear a hijab while incarcerated. Mary Lawlor of the UNHR visited Kamira Nait Sid in prison, and was told that she was tried on the vague charges of “undermining national unity” and “belonging to a terrorist organisation” (prior to her arrest, she had been scheduled to conduct a human rights event at a university conference which was also hosting the exiled president of MAK).
Dda Mohand: Mohand, a Kabyle residing in France, was arrested at the Algerian border in 2023 whilst attempting to return home. He ran an association arranging the return of Kabyle bodies for burial in their homeland - in Kabyle tradition, the dead are buried in their native village when they die.
Ait Yahia Omar: French-Algerian Kabyle dance teacher Omar Aït Yahia, known by his pseudonym Assalas, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a fine in August 2024. He was also arrested at the Algerian border, and is accused of belonging to the MAK.
Dominique Martre: Martre was arrested in 2024 to prevent the sale of a book about Kabyle culture called “Sharing Kabylia”. She is a French publisher and journalist, and was arrested and released after a number of hours.
Boulem Sansal: Sansal, an Algerian French writer, was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison at the end of March on accusations of undermining national unity and security (New York Times). 80 year old Mr Sansal has been diagnosed with cancer, and his age and declining health means he is unlikely to survive his sentence. For more information, click here.