HIBAPRESS reports that the organization "Shuaa for Human Rights" stated that Algeria has been experiencing since September 2025 a wide and systematic crackdown targeting political activists, journalists, and human rights defenders, in a context that recalls the practices of the past and reveals a dangerous slide towards a police state that excludes freedoms and confiscates the public space from any opposing voice.
The organization explained in a statement that what is happening is not isolated events but a systematic policy aimed at suffocating what remains of the civil space and criminalizing any independent activity. It pointed out that among the prominent victims of this escalation was the arrest of Fathi Ghras, the national coordinator of the Social Democratic Movement, after his house was raided by security elements in civilian clothes, where he was placed under judicial supervision on charges described as vague, such as "insulting a regular authority" and "spreading false news that threatens public order," which reveals – according to the organization – the transformation of the judiciary into a tool for political settling of accounts instead of being a protector of rights and freedoms. Shuaa also addressed the case of journalist and activist Abdelkrim Zguilich, who was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine in Constantine because of an old post on Facebook dating back to 2019, within a quick trial that lasted only one day, which the organization described as a "judicial scandal" that confirms the exploitation of the judiciary to silence opponents. The statement added that the September alone included more than 15 arrests or summons, including the detention of an activist in temporary prison on charges of "terrorism," and placing six others under judicial supervision, in addition to pursuits that the organization considered absurd, which reflects – in its view – the approach of a systematic state to empty the political arena of any real opposition. Shuaa warned that the continuation of this approach recalls the events of October 5, 1988, when thousands of Algerians went out to demand freedom and justice, but were met by security forces with bullets, which left hundreds of victims and a deep wound in the national memory. The organization demanded: the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners, the dropping of fabricated charges, foremost among them Article 87 bis, the end of the dominance of security agencies over political life and ensuring the independence of the judiciary, and the reopening of the political and media fields to various actors, to enable them to work freely away from restriction and prosecution. The organization recalls that Algeria witnessed a massive popular uprising in October 1988, which included various states, and was met by security forces and the army with great violence, where the authorities announced the killing of 169 people, while opposition sources confirm that the real toll is close to 500 deaths, in addition to thousands of cases of enforced disappearances.
