Maître William Julié commented in Le Parisien on Algeria’s decision to refuse the return of its nationals to its territory, in the context of the knife attack in Mulhouse.
Since 27 December 1968, there have been agreements between France and Algeria concerning, in particular, the stay of Algerians in France, granting them a more advantageous derogatory regime than that applicable to other foreigners.
Although in principle, as enshrined in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to enter the country of which they are a national, Algeria has, however, repeatedly refused to issue a consular pass, blocking the continuation of the procedure. This document normally allows the issuing country to confirm the identity and nationality of the person subject to the deportation procedure.
Maître Julié thus emphasised the differences between the established rights and the practices of the States, revealing the legal weaknesses of deportation procedures.