Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) party during the 1990s. In November he was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and fined 100,000 Algerian dinars (around USD870). REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS From April to June, a group of 25 Syrian refugees, including 10 children, were stranded in the buffer zone of Morocco’s desert border area with Algeria.4 In June, the Algerian authorities announced they would permit them to enter Algeria and would allow UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, to provide them with assistance. However, the Algerian authorities later refused to let them in through an unofficial crossing point. The refugees remained stranded in the desert until Morocco granted them protection. Between August and December the authorities arbitrary arrested and forcibly expelled more than 6,500 sub-Saharan African migrants to neighbouring Niger and Mali on the basis of racial profiling.5 In February, a court in Annaba convicted 27 people, including Algerians, for irregular exit from Algeria after they attempted to leave the country by boat. They were fined 20,000 Algerian dinars (about USD180) each. WORKERS’ RIGHTS The Labour Code continued to unduly restrict the right to form trade unions by limiting trade union federations and confederations to single occupational sectors; allowing only Algerian-born people or those who had held Algerian nationality for a minimum of 10 years to create trade union organizations; and imposing restrictions on foreign funding for trade unions. Authorities continued to deny registration to the independent, cross-sector General Autonomous Confederation for Algerian Workers, since it first filed its application in 2013. In May, the Ministry of Labour banned the National Autonomous Electricity and Gas Trade Union by withdrawing its recognition. A government official publicly denied the ban during an International Labour Conference session in June. Amnesty International Report 2017/18 DEATH PENALTY Courts continued to impose death sentences. No executions have been carried out since 1993. 1. Human Rights Council adopts Universal Periodic Review outcome on Algeria (MDE 28/7152/2017) 2. Algeria: Ensure fair trial for minority rights activists (News story, 29 May) 3. Algeria: Wave of arrests and prosecutions of hundreds of Ahmadis (News story, 19 June) 4. Morocco: Syrian refugees trapped in desert on Moroccan border with Algeria in dire need of assistance (News story, 7 June) 5. Algeria: Mass racial profiling used to deport more than 2,000 subSaharan migrants (News story, 23 October) ANGOLA Republic of Angola Head of state and government: João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (replaced José Eduardo dos Santos in September) Agri-business mega projects displaced communities from their land. Although the restrictive NGO law was repealed, the space for individuals to exercise their civil and political rights continued to shrink. Peaceful protesters were met with violent repression; government critics faced criminal defamation suits. Attempts by Parliament to criminalize abortion in all circumstances were defeated. BACKGROUND Historic elections were held on 23 August. João Lourenço of the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) became President. According to the Electoral Commission, the MPLA obtained 61% of the vote, down from 81% in 2012. Opposition parties – National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola-Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE), and National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) − contended that the election results were illegitimate, but took their seats in Parliament. 73