Political reforms in Algeria praised by US Department of State

US Department of State praised Friday the political reforms in Algeria, highlighting the revision of the Constitution and creation of the high authority for election monitoring.

In its annual report on human rights practices for 2016, published Friday in Washington, US Department of State says that Algeria is a multiparty republic whose president is elected by popular vote, underlining that the revision of the Constitution in 2016 limited the president to two five-year terms.

In this regard, the report underscores the creation of the high authority for election monitoring, provided for in the Constitution, to ensure the transparency and integrity of the elections.

While broaching 2014 presidential elections, US Department of State notes that they took place in transparency, citing in this regard the findings made by the different observation missions of the United Nations, the Arab League, the African Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

In terms of freedoms and respect of the integrity of the person, the report notes the absence in 2016 of arbitrary and unlawful killings and enforced disappearances.

There were “no reports of politically motivated disappearances,” the report says.

The report says that the conditions of incarceration in Algeria meet perfectly the relevant international standards.

The government has used specific facilities for prisoners age 27 and younger, modernized its inmate classification system and allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local human rights observers to regularly visit prisons and detention centres, according to the source.

The report underlines that the authorities have properly implemented procedures on warrants and summons, noting that the police in Algeria must obtain a summons from the Prosecutor’s Office to require suspect to appear in a police station and that they may make arrests without a warrant if they witness the offense.