Algeria: Women's rights organization, AFEPEC, given formal notice to evacuate their premises
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AFEPEC The Association Féminine pour l’Epanouissement de la Personne et l’Exercice de la Citoyenneté (AFEPEC) has campaigned for women's rights for over 20 years. On 6 Feb. AFEPEC was ordered to leave the premises they have occupied since 2003.
The Association Féminine pour l’Epanouissement de la Personne et l’Exercice de la Citoyenneté (AFEPEC) has tirelessly campaigned for women's rights for over twenty years. On February 6th, 2007, AFEPEC was ordered to leave the premises they have occupied since 2003, which was allocated to them by the City Council of Oran, Algeria.
On Tuesday, February 6th, 2007, the AFEPEC was given a formal notice, signed by the elected representative and delegate of the El Amir urban sector, to leave the premises occupied by the organization since 2003 and which had been allocated to it by the Communal Popular Assembly (APC).
On Wednesday afternoon, two officers from the urban sector went to the AFEPEC’s headquarters – for the third time, but this time with a police officer – to “ask” the chair of AFEPEC to acknowledge receipt of the notice. AFEPEC, with the support of CIVIC [Comité d’Initiatives et de Vigilance Citoyennes], approached the elected representatives and administrative authorities of the City Council. They met twice with the Chair of the APC. They all expressed astonishment at this “decision made unilaterally without informing the Executive”. They expressed their disagreement with this decision.
It should be noted that the premise in question is an old, disused school, in complete ruin and had been closed down for several years. AFEPEC had taken the necessary steps and the allocation decision was made by the Education Directorate and the APC. The school was in “appalling” condition. The AFEPEC went great lengths to progressively do some repair work: first two rooms, and then a process that lasted nearly two years to make the whole school watertight, following extensive and costly work. And finally, AFEPEC just recently got all the work done. These premises have thus been transformed and are now quite functional.
The building is certainly used for the APEFEC’s activities, but also for other activities developed in partnership with other organizations, in particular the Université Populaire de la Citoyenneté, meetings held by other organizations, joint activities involving several organizations…
What are the motives behind this decision? What, and who, is the target?
Could it be in any way related to the meeting – held on January 24th, 2007, at the AFEPEC headquarters with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and women’s rights organizations?
Would this have happened if it weren’t a women’s organization?
[APEFEC organized a meeting on February 14th, 2007 at its headquarters, regarding the situation.]
[Press release from AFEPEC; translated from the French by the Women's Rights division of Rights & Democracy]
On Wednesday afternoon, two officers from the urban sector went to the AFEPEC’s headquarters – for the third time, but this time with a police officer – to “ask” the chair of AFEPEC to acknowledge receipt of the notice. AFEPEC, with the support of CIVIC [Comité d’Initiatives et de Vigilance Citoyennes], approached the elected representatives and administrative authorities of the City Council. They met twice with the Chair of the APC. They all expressed astonishment at this “decision made unilaterally without informing the Executive”. They expressed their disagreement with this decision.
It should be noted that the premise in question is an old, disused school, in complete ruin and had been closed down for several years. AFEPEC had taken the necessary steps and the allocation decision was made by the Education Directorate and the APC. The school was in “appalling” condition. The AFEPEC went great lengths to progressively do some repair work: first two rooms, and then a process that lasted nearly two years to make the whole school watertight, following extensive and costly work. And finally, AFEPEC just recently got all the work done. These premises have thus been transformed and are now quite functional.
The building is certainly used for the APEFEC’s activities, but also for other activities developed in partnership with other organizations, in particular the Université Populaire de la Citoyenneté, meetings held by other organizations, joint activities involving several organizations…
What are the motives behind this decision? What, and who, is the target?
Could it be in any way related to the meeting – held on January 24th, 2007, at the AFEPEC headquarters with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and women’s rights organizations?
Would this have happened if it weren’t a women’s organization?
[APEFEC organized a meeting on February 14th, 2007 at its headquarters, regarding the situation.]
[Press release from AFEPEC; translated from the French by the Women's Rights division of Rights & Democracy]
