MUSTAFA
GUIRA

Background and Work

Mustafa Guira was born on 12 May 1964 in Ouzellaguen, Bejaia province. He is married with four children. From his youth, he has devoted himself to political and grassroots activism. In the 1990s, he was imprisoned for his activism and released in 2002.

Since then, Mustafa has worked consistently on human rights and associative causes. He has supported families of the disappeared, detainees held before special courts, the unemployed, and participants in the Hirak protest movement. He contributed to the National Committee for the Defense of the Rights of the Unemployed, founded in 2010, and participated in numerous sit-ins across Algeria, particularly in Ouargla. He was also active in the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights and the Rachad Movement.

Despite attempting to earn a living as a merchant, persistent legal harassment prevented him from sustaining any stable income. Throughout his activism, he has supported victims of injustice irrespective of their political or ideological orientation.

Arrest and Detention

Mustafa was arrested multiple times over the years. In September 2013, he and three other activists were jailed on charges of unarmed assembly and disturbing public order. He was detained again for opposing former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's fourth term and once more during the 2019 Hirak movement. On 3 September 2019, he was arrested and later served an eight-month sentence with a fine on appeal. He was repeatedly released and re-arrested in 2020. Despite these hardships, he continued to advocate for prisoners of conscience and attended trials of other activists.

On 23 April 2021, Mustafa was arrested in Oran and detained under Article 87 bis alongside human rights activist Kaddour Chouicha and journalist Said Boudour. He has been held continuously since then, currently in El Harrach Prison.

Torture and Ill-Treatment

During interrogation in Oran, Mustafa was subjected to psychological torture, threats, and ill-treatment. These allegations raise serious concerns regarding coercion, the reliability of any statements extracted under duress, and Algeria's compliance with international prohibitions against torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Health and Personal Loss

While in prison, Mustafa has suffered from hypertension and was later diagnosed with diabetes. On 22 May 2022, his son Abdel Raouf died. Authorities allowed Mustafa to see his son's body but barred him from attending the funeral. This personal loss, compounded by prolonged detention, has led to serious physical and psychological distress.

Judicial Harassment and Multiple Prosecutions

Mustafa faces prosecution in more than 20 separate cases. He has received multiple prison sentences across these proceedings: three years, eighteen months, and one year in different cases, each sentence stacking atop the others. The multiplication of overlapping prosecutions signals a pattern of judicial harassment designed to keep him in a courtroom or a prison cell indefinitely.

In a deeply alarming development, authorities have opened a new case against Mustafa that could carry the death penalty. There are no allegations of violence in any of the charges brought against him. The escalation to a capital charge for peaceful political activism underscores the punitive targeting of dissent.

Violations and International Law

Mustafa's case exemplifies multiple serious human rights violations. His detention is arbitrary and violates Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He faces judicial harassment through overlapping prosecutions, the criminalization of peaceful political activism via vague national security charges, and the risk of disproportionate punishment, including the death penalty, absent any violent conduct. The reported psychological torture and ill-treatment violate the Convention Against Torture. The coercion he endured raises concerns about potential violations of fair trial guarantees.

His prolonged detention, repeated prosecution, and exposure to psychological abuse illustrate the misuse of national security laws to silence peaceful activism. Mustafa's situation requires immediate protection from further ill-treatment, guarantees of fair trial rights, independent investigation into allegations of torture, and comprehensive review of all charges to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.