The Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa has learned with satisfaction the release of Mr Mohamed Smaïn, former Branch President of the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH), who was arrested and detained by the Algerian police on 19 June 2012.
The Special Rapporteur commends the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria for this action which reflects its willingness to provide justice to the aforementioned human rights defender and expresses her gratitude to the Algerian authorities for collaborating with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in general and the mechanism of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa in particular, especially in the case of Mr Mohamed Smaïn regarding which exchanges were made.
The Special Rapporteur would like to seize this opportunity to call upon the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria to continue its efforts to guarantee the right to dignity and freedom of Mr Mohamed Smaïn and to ensure the effective protection of all human rights defenders working in Algeria.
Banjul, 25 July 2012
