Amnesty calls on Algeria to adopt law on right to asylum

Amnesty International has called upon Algeria's government to adopt a law on the right to asylum and to investigate the expulsion of Malian refugees earlier this month.

"The authorities should decriminalize irregular immigration," Amnesty's Algeria office said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement also asked the government to "fight racism against sub-Saharans in the country."

On Saturday, Algeria's government rejected the reports of the ill-treatment of a group of nearly 260 Malian refugees who were deported to their country in the beginning of December.

Some of the recently deported Malians had accused Algerian troops of brutality, saying many Malians had been wounded and some of them had even lost their lives.

Amnesty also called for "a prompt and impartial inquiry into the cases of arbitrary expulsions and allegations of mistreatment."

The rights group censured the Algerian law that criminalizes irregular migration into the country and stipulates prison term for anyone who helps an illegal refugee.

The law, Amnesty argued, makes those refugees "extremely vulnerable" and "prevents them from reporting abuse for fear of being pursued, jailed or deported."

SS