🗓️ Published on: 24/11/2025
As a signatory to the international statement, the Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP) stresses that the support for unionist Ali Mammeri was far from incidental. It reflects a rare and powerful consensus, endorsed by 19 organisations, including global trade union federations and long-standing human rights groups with significant weight and influence on the international scene.
The sheer number and profile of the signatory organisations clearly highlight the magnitude of the injustice faced by Ali Mammeri,as well as the seriousness of the case and its human rights and trade union implications.
A rare global agreement reveals the seriousness of the case and its implications.
The list of signatories includes major international trade union federations and widely recognised human rights organisations — some holding consultative status with the United Nations, others with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and several with strong institutional ties to the International Labour Organization. Others form part of some of the world’s largest global networks dedicated to the defence of human rights.
This international mobilisation in support of Ali Mammeri did not happen by coincidence. It stems from a shared conviction that his prosecution strikes at the very core of trade union rights and freedom of expression in Algeria. Anti-terrorism legislation was used to legitimise the criminalisation of the peaceful and legitimate activities of a trade unionist and human rights defender.
International call for an independent investigation into the alleged torture of Ali Mammeri
In their joint statement, the organizations demanded a serious, independent, and swift investigation into those responsible for the torture of Ali Maamari during his enforced disappearance, and that they be brought before an independent, impartial, and effective judiciary. This confirms that covering up the torture of activists will not go unpunished and will not be covered up by heavy and harsh sentences. .
The demands raised by the organizations in solidarity with Ali Maamari
The joint statement calls on the Algerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ali Mammeri, annul the 29 October 2025 judgment sentencing him to 15 years in prison, open an independent and impartial investigation into his allegations of torture and enforced disappearance, and review the legal provisions used against him — notably the anti-terrorism legislation and Ordinance 21-09 — to ensure full compliance with Algeria’s international obligations.
Why did international organisations mobilise?
The signatory organisations made it clear that Ali Mammeri was targeted due to his legitimate trade union activities within COSYFOP, his official correspondence with the International Labour Organization regarding violations of trade union rights, his active defence of freedom of association and workers’ rights, as well as the authorities’ refusal to register his mother’s complaint of torture and the absence of any independent investigation to date.
A case that goes beyond one person – it challenges trade union freedoms in Algeria
The statement stressed that this trial is not just about one individual; it sends a worrying signal to all trade unionists and human rights defenders in Algeria. The definition of terrorism in Algerian legislation has become so broad that it can be used to criminalise any independent human rights or trade union activity — a risk previously warned about by both the International Labour Organization and the United Nations. This international consensus confirms that Ali Mammeri’s case is not an isolated domestic matter, but a clear violation of international standards relating to trade union rights, and the protections against torture and enforced disappearance.
You can download the full statement in all three languages:
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