UN Expert to Algeria’s Government: Long-term Security Cannot be Achieved without Respecting Human Rights

A lion statue is pictured at the central square of Place d'Armes in the city of Oran, Algeria May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar
A lion statue is pictured at the central square of Place d'Armes in the city of Oran, Algeria May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar
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UN Expert to Algeria’s Government: Long-term Security Cannot be Achieved without Respecting Human Rights

A lion statue is pictured at the central square of Place d'Armes in the city of Oran, Algeria May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar
A lion statue is pictured at the central square of Place d'Armes in the city of Oran, Algeria May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelaziz Boumzar

The Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, has criticized the Algerian government for continuing “to use repressive, unconstitutional laws from the pre-Hirak era to repress peaceful dissent.”

The Human Rights Council in Geneva issued on Sunday a report written by the Special Rapporteur, who conducted a visit to Algeria in September 2023.

“Human rights activists and journalists continue to be arbitrarily detained and civil society associations arbitrarily dissolved or refused registration,” said the report.

In January 2023, the Special Rapporteur wrote to the Algerian government to express concern about the prosecution of journalist Ihsane El Kadi.

On 18 June 2023, the Algiers Court of Appeal upheld El Kadi’s conviction for receiving foreign funds for “political propaganda” and receiving funds that could undermine the security of the state and increased his sentence from five to seven years’ imprisonment.

During the visit, the Special Rapporteur reiterated his concerns about El Kadi’s prosecution, which is related to the legitimate exercise of his freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion.

Human rights organization, the Rassemblement actions jeunesse (Youth Action Rally), has been dissolved at the request of government authorities, said the report.

The Special Rapporteur acknowledged the desire of the Algerian government to ensure safety and stability. “However, long-term safety and security cannot be achieved without respecting human rights and ensuring that all persons, including critics of the government, can exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association,” he said.

“For true and long-standing peace and security, governments must treat civil society as a valued partner and not as a threat,” he added.



Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
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Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 

The brief detention of Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), by Syrian authorities has renewed scrutiny over the status of Palestinian factions still operating in Syria, particularly those that aligned with the former Assad regime.

Naji’s arrest and swift release come amid a major political realignment following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. Once one of the most active and heavily armed Palestinian groups in Syria, the PFLP-GC now faces an uncertain future, along with other factions that were long tolerated—or even supported—under Assad’s rule.

A well-informed Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the new Syrian administration has appointed a figure known as Abu Abdul Rahman al-Shami to oversee the file of Palestinian factions. Since assuming the role, al-Shami has convened multiple meetings with faction representatives, including regular attendees from the PFLP-GC, to discuss the fate of their fighters, weapons, property, and military infrastructure.

According to the source, al-Shami has made it clear that the new government intends to hold accountable any individuals or groups implicated in crimes against Syrian civilians during the civil war. Palestinian factions have been instructed to surrender all weapons and military equipment, and to limit their activities to humanitarian and relief work. The PFLP-GC, the source said, has largely complied.

Despite the fall of the Assad regime, Naji and much of the PFLP-GC’s second- and third-tier leadership have remained in Syria. Its offices in Damascus reportedly continue to operate, though under heightened scrutiny. Other faction leaders, however, have fled. Among them are Khaled Abdul Majid (Popular Struggle Front), Ziyad al-Saghir (Fatah–Intifada), Mohammad al-Saeed (Liwa al-Quds), and Saed Abdel Al (Free Palestine Movement). Most are believed to have sought refuge in Lebanon.

Sources confirmed that several PFLP-GC fighters have been detained in recent weeks in connection with alleged war crimes committed during their cooperation with Assad’s forces. The Syrian government has also moved to seize faction offices and military installations across the country, including properties belonging to Fatah–Intifada, the Free Palestine Movement, and the Sa’iqa Forces. Sa’iqa’s leader, Mohammad Qais, remains in Syria.

In a further blow, authorities have reportedly frozen bank accounts belonging to some Palestinian factions, both in state and private banks, although it remains unclear whether the PFLP-GC is among them.

Additionally, it is widely believed that the PFLP-GC has handed over its military training camps, which were previously spread across Damascus countryside, Daraa, Aleppo, and Suwayda. “The situation is extremely sensitive, and everyone is anxious,” one Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It’s likely they’ve surrendered those sites.”

The sense of unease deepened last month when Syrian authorities detained two senior Islamic Jihad officials in Damascus: Khaled Khaled, head of the group’s Syria bureau, and Abu Ali Yasser, its chief organizational officer. Both remain in custody, and no official charges have been announced.

The current atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has driven faction leaders to avoid public comment. Most now insist on anonymity when speaking to local or international media.

Before the outbreak of the Syrian uprising in March 2011, Syria hosted more than a dozen Palestinian factions. As the conflict escalated, the Assad regime encouraged the formation of new pro-regime groups, composed largely of Palestinian refugees, to fight alongside its forces.