Algeria: Trade unionist Ali Mammeri faces 10 years in prison after court upholds his unjust conviction

In response to the 1 Feb ruling by the Court of Appeal in Oum El Bouaghi to uphold the conviction of trade unionist and human rights defender Ali Mammeri, and reduce his prison sentence from 15 to 10 years, Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said:

“The court’s deeply unjust decision to uphold Ali Mammeri’s conviction on baseless charges is another clear assault on peaceful dissent and independent union activity in Algeria. Ali Mammeri’s 10-year prison sentence is deeply arbitrary and sends an alarming signal to other trade unionists in the country.

“Using torture-tainted statements to support a conviction is a grave violation of his right to a fair trial. It is also imperative that the authorities promptly open an independent, impartial, and effective investigation into Ali Mammeri’s allegations of being beaten, stripped naked, and forced to ‘confess’ during interrogation by police.”