🗓️ Published on: 15/12/2025

Talking about a “crisis of justice” in Algeria is no longer a political label used by the opposition or a slogan repeated by human rights organizations in international forums. It has become a disturbing reality, imposed by hard numbers, court rulings, and facts recorded in judicial files. What is unfolding before us is a justice system marked by a profound imbalance: one that shows inexplicable leniency toward corruption and organized crime, while coming down with unprecedented severity on trade union activity and the defense of fundamental rights.

Two recent cases, both well documented and widely known to the public, are enough to paint a bleak picture of what the Algerian judiciary has become in one of the darkest periods of its history: the mass fraud case in the province of Sétif, and the ordeal of trade unionist Ali Mammeri in Oum El Bouaghi.

Sétif: The Crime of Impunity

In the province of Sétif, the justice system faced a serious moral and legal test—and failed it decisively. A heavy case file laid bare alarming facts about an organized fraud network that victimized 76 citizens, involving vast sums of money officially estimated at 23 billion centimes.

The crime was not a simple misdemeanor, but a complex operation involving the exploitation of influence and connections within public institutions, the forgery of official seals, the luring of victims with false investment promises, and even the use of psychological manipulation and sorcery, with strong suspicions surrounding money laundering and the disposal of gold obtained from the proceeds. criminal.

Despite the gravity of the crimes, the number of victims, and the existence of legal precedents, the court ruling came as a shock to the public conscience. An initial sentence of five years was miraculously reduced to three, culminating in an absurd chapter where the main defendant benefited from a "presidential pardon" and was released from prison in record time.

What proved even more shocking, according to consistent testimonies from those present in the courtroom, were remarks attributed to the judge during the hearing, including statements such as:

The law does not protect fools.

The statement – if true – not only insults the victims, but undermines the very philosophy of justice.

The disaster lies not only in the lenient sentence, but in what followed, as new reports and complaints indicate that the release was not an opportunity for repentance, but a green light to continue the same practices, with suspicions about the transfer of funds and the concealment of assets that should have been seized to compensate the victims.

This raises a fundamental question that lays bare the system itself: how can the rights of 76 victims be so easily dismissed, and billions in public money simply evaporate through rushed clemency measures, without restitution or accountability?

Ali Mammeri: When Trade Union Activity Is Branded as “Terrorism”

By stark contrast, and in a far darker corner of the very same judicial system, lies the case of the trade unionist and human rights defender,Ali Mammeri,a public sector employee, a participant in the popular protest movement, and the founder of the National Independent Union of Workers in the Culture and Arts Sector—a man who stole no billions, forged no seals, and engaged in no fraud or deception.

Mammeri’s only“crime”was exercising his constitutional right to engage in trade union activity, communicating with the International Labour Organization to expose abuses, and defending workers’ rights.

On 29 October 2025, the criminal court of first instance in Oum El Bouaghi handed down a crushing verdict that stunned observers: fifteen years of imprisonment. The ruling was based on a set of broadly worded laws, most notably Article 87 bis of the Penal Code—highly controversial and related to terrorism—as well as Executive Order 21-09 on the protection of administrative information and documents.

What proved even more shocking, according to consistent testimonies from those present in the courtroom, were remarks attributed to the judge during the hearing, including statements such as:

Stay in your lane.

His trade union correspondence, Facebook posts, and even his attempt to establish a union committee to defend rights were reclassified as “subversive acts” allegedly threatening state security. Moreover, according to the defense team, the procedural handling of the case was marred by serious violations: an arrest without a warrant in March 2025, days of enforced disappearance, and documented complaints of torture and ill-treatment used to extract confessions—complaints that the judiciary refused to investigate.

Justice by Double Standards

When the two cases are placed side by side, a clear pattern of double standards emerges—no longer isolated missteps, but the contours of a systematic judicial approach. In the Sétif fraud case, the facts involve serious crimes: organized fraud, forgery, the misappropriation of nearly 23 billion centimes, and documented psychological exploitation affecting 76 citizens who suffered both financial and emotional harm. Yet the case was handled with striking leniency, culminating in a reduced sentence and a swift presidential pardon that led to the defendant’s release and return to activity.

By contrast, the case of trade unionist and human rights defender Ali Mammeri involves no material harm and no victims in the legal sense. It relates exclusively to the exercise of lawful trade union activity, communication with international bodies, and the expression of opinion through public posts. Yet Mammeri was framed as a threat to “state security” and subjected to a harsh repressive process: arrest without a warrant, enforced disappearance, allegations of torture, prolonged pre-trial detention, and ultimately a severe sentence of fifteen years’ imprisonment.

This stark contradiction between the nature of the acts involved and the severity of the procedures and penalties cannot be dismissed as coincidence. It exposes a deeply inverted logic of justice—one in which those who harm society are spared, while those who defend rights and challenge authority are punished.

A Threat to the Very Foundations of the State

What is unfolding goes far beyond injustice inflicted on individuals; it amounts to a direct undermining of the foundations of the state itself. When counterterrorism laws are weaponized to repress trade unionists and silence dissent, while prison doors are opened for those who have plundered public wealth, the message sent by the judiciary to society is a dangerous one: corruption is protected, and activism is criminalized.

Reforming the justice system in Algeria is no longer an intellectual luxury or a political option that can be postponed. The current reality—marked by the dismissal of torture allegations, the rewarding of impunity, and the subordination of the judiciary to a narrow security-driven logic—places the country on a dangerously slippery slope.

A justice system that punishes its principled citizens while showing tolerance toward those who plunder public resources is not merely crippled—it constitutes a grave threat to social stability and the future of the state.