Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Algeria face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
citizens. According to the
International Lesbian and Gay Association
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is an organization who is committed to advancing human rights to all people, disregarding gender identity, sex characteristics and expression. ILGA participates in a ...
's May 2008 report, both male and female same-sex sexual acts are illegal in
Algeria
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Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
Article 338 of Algerian law (English translation) reads:
Article 333 of the Algerian law (English translation) reads:
Vigilante executions,
beatings,
and torture
are also allowed with police joining in on the attacks,
being complicit, or turning a blind eye.
The criminals laws originate from the prevailing mores in Algeria that view homosexuality and cross-dressing as
against the Islamic faith.
Living conditions
Homosexuality is prohibited by law, and the prevailing social attitude is openly negative, even violent. The law does not recognize or respect the civil rights of LGBT persons. Officially, there are no gay-friendly establishments and no political organization is allowed to campaign for LGBT rights. Examples of hate crimes against homosexuals include the stoning of two men in the street in 2001
and the killing of two men, one in 1994 and the other in 1996.
Most attempts of having unofficial
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
are blocked by police, as was the case in a 2005 attempt.
Assil Belatla was a student who was murdered for suspicion of being gay in 2019. The student was killed in his dormitory in the university district and the words "he is gay" were painted on the wall with his blood, the murderer thought that he would avoid judicial follow-up for that.
Houari Manar
Houari Manar (Arabic: هواري منار; born Houari Madani; 18 December 1981 – 7 January 2019) was an Algerian raï singer who was popular in his home country as well as the neighbouring Maghreb and Mediterranean countries, and in France.
E ...
, a popular
raï
Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed to ''sheikh'' (Ara ...
singer widely thought to be gay, died in 2019. Following his death several homophobic comments were made on social media.
According to a survey done for
BBC News Arabic by the Arab Barometer research network in 2018-19, about 26% of Algerians think that homosexuality should be accepted.
Summary table
See also
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Human rights in Algeria
In 2011, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who had been in power from 1999 to 2019, lifted a state of emergency that had been in place since the end of the Algerian Civil War in 2002, as a result of the Arab Spring protests that had occurr ...
*
Politics of Algeria
Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a constitutional semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the gov ...
*
LGBT rights in Africa
With the exception of South Africa and Cape Verde, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are limited in comparison to the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Out of the 55 states recognised ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lgbt Rights in Algeria
Algeria
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Human rights in Algeria
Algeria
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Algeria
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LGBT in Algeria
Politics of Algeria