Subject: Repression in the indigenous Amazigh region of Kabylia. The case of Mrs. Nait Sid
During the wildfires of summer 2021 in the indigenous Amazigh region of Kabylia, the Algerian authorities conducted multiple arbitrary arrests of Kabyle civilians and activists. The Kabylia region has been systematically repressed by the government due to its struggle for self-determination.
Kamira Nait Sid is a Kabyle-Amazigh activist and President of the World Amazigh Congress (CMA), an international NGO with UN observer status, and member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. On August 24, 2021, Kamira and her sister were violentiy kidnapped from their home in Kabylia.
She is being accused of “undermining national unity and state security” and “belonging to a terrorist ization” under Article 87 bis of the Penal code which carries penalties ranging from 10 years to lífe imprisonment and/or death penalty.
Kamira is a political prisoner. She is arrested for defending the cultural, historical, and linguistic rights of the Amazigh people and for her role as President of the CMA.
Having regard to the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders:
- Is the EU Delegation to Algeria observing the judicial proceeding against Mrs. Nait Sid?
- ls the EU Delegation to Algeria planning to provide Mrs. Naít Sid with legal, psychological and
medical support?
