Peace must be built on Truth and Justice

Amnesty International, 15. Mai 2000

The human rights situation in Algeria is improving, says the Amnesty International delegation that visited the country from 2 to 14 May, but many serious concerns about the human rights crisis of recent years have not been addressed.

During the visit, the first in four years, Amnesty International's delegates met with officials, human rights organizations, victims and families of victims, human rights lawyers and activists, and with associations and groups working on a variety of issues including women's rights and rehabilitation of victims of human rights abuses.

"We were able to move around the country freely and no restrictions were imposed on our activities", said Donatella Rovera, a member of the four-person delegation. "There has been a significant drop in the level of violence and killings, and the reports of arbitrary arrests, prolonged incommunicado detention, torture, "disappearances" and unfair trials have also diminished significantly" she added.

However, while such improvements are a welcome development, Amnesty International remains concerned that no concrete and effective measures have yet been taken by the Algerian authorities to investigate and shed light on the thousands of killings, massacres, "disappearances", abductions, torture, extrajudicial executions and deliberate and arbitrary killings of civilians which have occurred in recent years - and which, though on a lesser scale, continue to occur.

"Amnesty International shares the concerns expressed by victims and their families who call for truth and justice and refuse impunity. The page cannot be turned and long-lasting peace cannot be achieved at the expense of truth and justice and on the basis of impunity - whether for security forces or for armed groups", said Roger Clark, leader of Amnesty International's delegation to Algeria.

The urgent need for full, independent and impartial investigations into a wide range of human rights abuses committed in recent years by security forces, paramilitary militias and armed groups such as the AIS, the groupe islamique armé, GIA (Armed Islamic Group), and others remains.

"It is important that such investigations be carried out as soon as possible, that the results be made public and that those found to be responsible for human rights abuses be brought to justice", said Roger Clark, adding that "justice must be done and must be seen to be done in order to restore the confidence of the civilian population".

The amnesty granted by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to an undisclosed number of members of the Armé islamique du salut, AIS (Islamic Salvation Army) and other groups, on the basis of a secret agreement whose content remains undisclosed, raises serious concerns that individuals responsible for killings, rape and other serious crimes may be granted impunity.

As for the recent law on Civil Harmony, there are concerns about its application. This law stipulates that those who have committed such serious offences as murder or rape, or placed explosives in public places must be brought to justice. However, the absence of thorough and independent investigations into the circumstances of these incidents means that it is almost impossible to establish whether members of armed groups who have surrendered and sought amnesty under the terms of this law have committed the above-mentioned crimes.

Amnesty International has requested information and details on specific cases and patterns from the Algerian authorities. The organization will be communicating its findings and recommendations to the government. It considers this visit to have been an introductory one and hopes to be able to carry out follow-up visits in the coming months.

Background

The Amnesty International delegation which visited Algeria between 2 and 14 May 2000 was composed of: Roger Clark, formerly Secretary General of the Canadian Section (English) of Amnesty International and Director of the Africa Program at the organization's International Secretariat; Donatella Rovera and Philip Luther, staff members in the Middle East and North Africa Program of Amnesty International's International Secretariat; and Fateh Azzam, formerly Director of the Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq and currently in charge of the Ford Foundation's Middle East Program based in Cairo.

During their stay in Algeria the Amnesty International delegates had a number of official meetings, including meetings with: The Ministers of Interior and Justice and officials in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Justice; The President of the Supreme Court, the President and General Attorney of Algiers Court; The President of some Probations Committees set up to implement the law on Civil Harmony; the President and members of the Commission for Judiciary Reform, and the President and members of the Observatoire national des droits de humains, ONDH, the official human rights monitoring body. The delegation also met with non-governmental organizations, lawyers and other human rights activists working for the protection and promotion of human rights and public liberties, as well as with victims and victims' families.

This was the first time that an Amnesty International delegation was allowed to visit Algeria since May 1996. Between 1991 and 1996 Amnesty International was the only human rights organization which visited Algeria every year. Other international human rights organizations (Human Rights Watch, the Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Humains, and Reporters sans Frontiéres) are scheduled to visit Algeria over the coming weeks.

Source: Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom