Message from M. Ferhat Mehenni, President of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK) during the 16th United Nations Forum on Minority Issues (30 November - 1 December 2023 - Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland) Mr. President, honourable representatives of the minorities, greetings from Kabylie. As Kabyles, we are knowledgeable about the minority side and we represent 12 million souls out of the 40 which Algeria has. We would have liked to glorify this country for its good governance but alas, there is none. Kabylie is living a nightmare under martial law. All liberties are suspended there and everyone is living in fear of being arrested and tortured. Since 2021, all Kabyles are collectively declared to be terrorists and a genocide with the codename “Opération Zéro Kabyle" is being carried out. They are burned alive and accused of being their own pyromaniacs. No less than 43 innocent Kabyles have been sentenced to death. Thousands of arrests followed by tortures and more than 100,000 Kabyles are currently forbidden from leaving Algerian territory. Furthermore, the exploitation of their natural wealth has been scheduled in TALA-HAMZA in a lead and zinc deposit to destroy a one thousand-year old city, a gem on the South bank of the Mediterranean, which is the city of BOUGIE, VGAYET or BEJAÏA. To finish, let me dedicate this intervention to the mothers of the political prisoners and of those sentenced to death who are even prevented by the Algerian regime from expressing their grief. Kabylie aspires to its right to self-determination to end all these sufferings. Thank you. KAB/MAK/UN/HRC/FMI/2023/11/19 - Original: French