Her Excellency Madam Federica Mogherini High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy New

November 30, 2016

Her Excellency Madam Federica Mogherini 

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy New 

Dear Madam Federica Mogherini, 

We urgently request that you save the life of detained Mozabite prisoner Dr. Kameleddine Fekhar in Algeria, and demand for his immediate release.

Your Excellency, on July 15, 2015 our NGO previously called on you, as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to bring to your attention the overt human rights violations against the Amazigh citizens in the Mzab region. Unfortunately, the situation remains the same without progress despite Algeria’s constraint by Article 2 of the Association’s Agreement, which stipulates that a critical element of the agreement is respect for democratic principles and the fundamental rights of man.

We want to bring your attention once again to human rights violations against the Mozabite people, to ensure that the Algerian authorities respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Instead the authorities are deliberately violating human rights in the Mzab region and other Amazigh-speaking regions including Kabyle. Algerian authorities continue to unjustly detain dozens of human rights activists. The detained activists include our representative Dr. Kameleddine Fekhar and his companions, who are victims of false accusations of attacks on national interests and the body corporate. The Algerian government continues to pursue a genocide against the Mozabite people, by choosing to support the Arabic-speaking community of “Chaanba” which continues to attack the Amazigh indigenous community. We must not forget that the Chaanba community has caused the death of more than thirty people in addition to more than a hundred injured Mozabites (see: CMA Report).

We want to inform your Excellency, that Dr. Kameleddine Fekhar and his companions have started another hunger strike since November 15, 2016 in response to these human rights violations. Not only are they being harassed and tortured in prison, their health is gravely deteriorating as a result of these inhumane practices being used against them. This could lead to their deaths if the international community and your institution do not act urgently to pressure the Algerian government to demand their immediate release. 

In addition we want to also notify you of Ammar Saadani’s declarations, the General Secretary of the National Liberation Front (FLN), who was forced to resign when he directly accused General Mohamed Médiène, former head of the DRS (military intelligence services), on the tragic events of Ghardaïa from 2013 to 2015.

Your Excellency, we reiterate the responsibility to respond to this urgent matter by demanding the immediate release of Dr. Kameleddine Fekhar and all Mozabite political prisoners. We call on you to compel the Algerian authorities to comply with international law. We urge you, your Excellency, to call on Algerian authorities to stop once and for all their aggressive policies and discrimination towards the Amazigh people and particularly the Mozabite people who are a target not only for their ethnic identity but also for their religious practices. 

Thank you for your work, diligence, and consideration into this urgent matter,

Sincerely,

Rachid RAHA

President of World Amazigh Assembly