Country Overview
Algeria
At a glance
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Laws against “public indecency” and “acts of homosexuality” criminalize same-sex sexual activity and contribute to antipathy toward LGBTIQ people in Algeria. Arrests and prosecutions for acts related to homosexuality have taken place in recent years. For example, in September 2023, judicial police arrested a man for allegedly promoting homosexuality online. He was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison, along with a fine of 10,000 Algerian dinars [US$75]. Previously, in February 2020, two men were arrested for “acts of homosexuality” after sharing images of their wedding ceremony on social media. In July of the same year, 44 people were arrested for allegedly attending a same-sex marriage. In September 2020, these individuals were convicted under public indecency laws, with two men receiving two-year prison sentences and fines, while the others were handed one-year suspended sentences.
There is a strong and growing LGBTIQ civil society in Algeria that is working to protect LGBTIQ people and decriminalize same-sex sexual activity. However, government agencies have denied LGBTIQ groups official registration for supposedly violating “public morals.” In addition, Algerian authorities continue to close civic space through systematic repression of dissent, severely restricting media usage and the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and movement. Legal amendments have further expanded repressive tools, including changes to the penal code and a new film law enabling censorship and criminal liability based on vague national security and values criteria.
Human rights activists, including LGBTIQ people, face a context of repression. Activists, journalists, lawyers, artists, and social media users have been prosecuted for exercising their right to peaceful expression under broadly worded criminal and anti-terrorism provisions. The state has also conducted collective expulsions of migrants, often without due process, reinforcing a broader pattern of exclusionary and punitive state practices.
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