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Since the establishment of the OADH, a network of Algerian human rights defenders created in July 2012, Yahia Bounouar has documented several cases of arbitrary detentions and arrests, specifically human rights defenders, young net-activists and independent trade-unionists.
Many of these cases were submitted to various UN special procedures. Recently, the UN Working group on arbitrary detention adopted an opinion on the arbitrary imprisonment of a young cyberactivist Saber Saidi following a joint communication sent by Alkarama and the OADH.
Since the beginning of his human rights activities in the field, and specifically since he has been travelling around Algeria organizing various events for the OADH, Yahia Bounouar has been constantly watched by the police.
However, since a couple of days, surveillance turned into blatant persecution.
As soon as he arrived at Constantine airport on Thursday 23 May 2013 at 6 pm, he was detained and taken to the premises of the security services there. An agent told him that "there was on a warning list at the level of all police stations nationwide". His passport was confiscated and he was forced to stay there several hours by the security services. He was not informed of the reasons for this arrest.
As soon as he got his passport back, he left the airport and noticed that he was followed by several vehicles and motor bikes belonging to the security services in the city.
In the next days, he went to different cities in the East, including Ain Beida and Annaba to participate to gatherings and meetings organised by the Unemployed Coordination, members of the Algerian League for Human Rights (LADDH) and OADH activists. Every time, he was followed by agents from the security services who made no efforts to remain unseen.
The measures of intimidation he has been subjected to are obviously aimed at impeding him from carrying his human rights defender activities and contradict his right to freedom of assembly and association which are guaranteed in the Algerian constitution.
Alkarama is therefore extremely concerned by these acts of persecution against one of the rare human rights defenders still very active in the country despite all the pressure and constraints he is facing in his daily work. We remind the Algerian authorities of their international obligations in virtue of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Algeria is party, including the obligation not to impede the activities of human rights defenders.