An independent trade unionist caught in the crossfire
In its latest report (No. 411), the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association highlighted the ongoing repression of trade union activity in Algeria, with particular focus on the case of Ali Maamri — a prominent leader within the independent confederation COSYFOP and a member of its Human Rights Defense Committee in the Oum El Bouaghi region.
According to submissions sent by the complainant organization to the Committee on 7 and 9 April 2025, Ali Maamri was subjected to arbitrary arrest on 19 March 2025 by plainclothes security officers, without the presentation of a warrant. He was taken to a security facility in the province of Constantine, where he was held incommunicado for 120 hours.
Torture and terrorism charges
During the initial days of his detention, Maamri informed his lawyer—during their first meeting on 26 March—that he had been subjected to physical and psychological torture, as well as verbal abuse. He was coerced into signing prewritten statements containing forced confessions linking him to individuals listed as terrorists and accusing him of attempting to establish a human rights defense committee. Investigators described this initiative as an attempt to form a “terrorist organization” aimed at overthrowing the government.
On 27 March, Maamri was brought before the public prosecutor without prior notice to his lawyer. He was formally charged under Articles 87 bis, 87 bis 1, 87 bis 4, and 87 bis 5 of the Penal Code — provisions related to terrorism — in addition to Articles 34 and 39 of the Law on the Protection of Classified Information and Documents.
Public comment by President Raouf Mellal on the case
What is described in this ILO report can only be characterized as a blend of tragedy and farce.
How can any legal or political mind justify charging a well-known trade unionist with terrorism and attempting to overthrow the government — simply for trying to establish a human rights committee within a legally recognized union?
Has the mere act of founding an independent trade union or a human rights committee become a threat to the state?
Is Algeria’s political system so fragile that it perceives every peaceful initiative as an existential threat?These practices not only harm unionists, but also cause official institutions to lose whatever credibility they have left in the eyes of national and international public opinion. Unless this trend is urgently corrected, Algeria is steadily moving toward the effective abolition of the right to organize independently, despite its international obligations.
— Mellal Raouf
The ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association did not issue a specific recommendation on his case… but it did consider the situation urgent.
Despite the gravity of the facts, the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association did not issue an individual recommendation concerning Ali Maamri. However, it referenced his case explicitly in paragraph 146 of its report and listed it among those requiring an urgent response from the Algerian government.
The Committee expressed deep concern over the growing climate of repression targeting trade unionists, calling for:
“An urgent response from the government regarding Maamri’s case, and an investigation into whether these measures are being used as tools of trade union repression.“
The Committee indicated that such measures, when used against trade union leaders like Maamri, constitute a clear violation of ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association, which Algeria has ratified.
Crushing Union Activism Through Criminalization
Ali Maamri’s case is not an isolated incident — it is part of a broader pattern of systematic practices targeting COSYFOP’s leadership, aimed at:
- Undermining COSYFOP from within through intimidation.
- Criminalizing trade union activity by linking it to national security concerns.
- Discrediting trade union leaders to strip them of both public and international support.
Ali Mammeri's continued detention and trial on charges unrelated to his peaceful union activism represents a serious deviation from Algeria's international obligations and puts the credibility of the judiciary at risk.
Accordingly, human rights organizations and international mechanisms are called upon to:
- To press for an independent investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment.
- To closely monitor the legal proceedings against him to ensure respect for fundamental due process guarantees.
- To call for the dismissal of all charges and his immediate release, given the absence of any evidence justifying his treatment as a terrorist.
Selected Quotes from the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association – Report No. 411:
The Committee is deeply concerned by new allegations from the complainant organization reporting a widespread climate of repression, in which trade union leaders are now subject to travel bans preventing them from leaving the country. The Committee notes that the complainant cites the cases of Mr. Amine Felih, Mr. Ramzi Derder, Mr. Hakim Mouhoubi, Mr. Hakim Aghelis, and Mr. Abderrazak Mokrane — all trade union leaders affiliated with COSYFOP. (paragraph 146)
(f) The Committee strongly urges the government to ensure that Article 87 bis of the Penal Code is not applied to the normal activities of trade unions and employers’ organizations, particularly when it involves calls for strikes, protests, or peaceful demands for government change. The Committee also calls on the government, in consultation with the social partners, to monitor the impact this provision has had — and may continue to have — on the exercise of trade union freedoms.
“The Committee urges the government to promptly provide its observations regarding the situation of the trade union leaders mentioned in the complainant organization's most recent communications dated 7 and 9 April 2025 (Mr. Maamri and Mr. Boussnane).”
Paragraph 146 Recommendation c
The full report is available in both French and English at the following link:
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