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The Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (OMDH) has vehemently denounced the Algerian authorities' decision to close and seal the headquarters of the Association of Families of the Disappeared in Algeria (SOS Disparus). The OMDH characterizes this move as part of a «systematic policy of harassment» directed at the families of victims of enforced disappearances and human rights advocates.
In a statement, the OMDH condemned the decision as «arbitrary», highlighting that it targets the peaceful efforts of families striving to uncover the fate of their loved ones who vanished during Algeria's tumultuous decade of the 1990s.
The Moroccan organization also draws attention to the timing of this action, which follows nearly two months after Nassera Dutour, president of SOS Disparus, was barred from entering Algeria. The OMDH interprets this as an escalation of pressure on those engaged in addressing this sensitive issue.
In light of these developments, the OMDH urges relevant United Nations bodies, including the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, to swiftly intervene with the Algerian authorities. Their intervention aims to safeguard the association's right to operate freely and continue its advocacy for the families of the disappeared.
SOS Disparus has been diligently documenting thousands of cases of individuals who went missing during the 1990s in Algeria. Estimates suggest that more than 20,000 people remain unaccounted for, with their fates still shrouded in mystery.
