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02 May 2012
Algeria: Malik Medjnoun freed from prison today
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Mr. Malik Medjnoun was arrested on 28 September 1999 by agents of the Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS) and had been detained ever since. He was released from the civil prison of Tizi-Ouzou at 10:00 a.m. on 2 May 2012.
Accused of the murder of singer Lounès Matoub, he has always maintained his innocence. He was severely tortured and interrogated in the "Antar" police station in Ben-Aknoun, Algiers. He was kept in prison for eleven years without trial. He was finally sentenced to 12 years in prison on 18 July 2011. His trial was described as unfair and political by all those present, including the family of the singer.
His case was submitted to the Human Rights Committee in 2004, which condemned the Algerian government for the numerous violations of human rights suffered by Malik Medjnoun, especially his secret detention in the police station of the DRS as well as the unfair nature of his trial.
To date, the Algerian authorities have refused to give effect to the findings of the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, notably to "launch an inquiry into his secret detention and treatment during his abduction; to undertake prosecution of those responsible for these violations" and to compensate the victim.