Algeria: Truth And Justice Should Not Be Obscured By Impunity
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International
8 November 2000 MDE 28/014/2000 210/00
"A lasting peace in Algeria cannot be built by sacrificing truth and justice," Amnesty International said in its new
report 'Truth and justice obscured by the shadow of impunity', released today.
"Only by establishing the truth about all the violations and abuses of the last decade, through full, independent and
impartial investigations, and ensuring the accountability for all those responsible for past and current human rights
abuses, can confidence in the justice system be restored."
Tens of thousands have died since the current conflict began in 1992, thousands have "disappeared" after being taken
away by the security forces and hundreds of thousands have been injured in acts of violence or afflicted by the pain of
losing a close relative. "The victims and their families have a legitimate desire and a right to truth and justice,"
Amnesty International said.
The Algerian authorities have talked of their intention to turn the page on this dark chapter. Yet they have failed to
take any concrete and effective measures to tackle the huge problem of impunity in the country, or to carry out
independent and impartial investigations into the killings and human rights abuses that took place in the last decade.
"The wounds caused by a tragedy of such scale and depth as that experienced by Algeria during the last decade cannot be
healed by a 'turn the page and forget' approach," Amnesty International said.
At the end of October Amnesty International received a response from the Algerian authorities to a memorandum sent to
them in August detailing the organization's concerns. In the response the authorities expressed their wish to further
their dialogue with Amnesty International and other human rights organizations on matters of mutual concern and
reiterated their commitment to strengthening human rights protection, notably through judicial reforms and legislative
amendments. The authorities also emphasized that all cases of human rights abuses brought to their attention were
investigated.
Amnesty International welcomed this response, but regretted that its requests for information concerning specific cases
of abuses or details of the outcome of investigations remained unanswered.
An Amnesty International delegation is currently visiting Algeria (5 to 19 November), where it is meeting victims,
families of victims, human rights activists and other members of civil society. The organization hopes that, in the
course of continuing talks with government officials, its delegation will be provided with the detailed information it
has requested.
A range of concerns arise from the provisions of the presidential amnesty as well as from the application of the Civil
Harmony law in practice.
Amnesty International takes no position on the granting of pardons after the truth is known and the judicial process
has been completed. However, the organization opposes amnesty laws or other mechanisms which prevent the emergence of
the truth and accountability.
"It is a paradoxical situation whereby people who have already spent up to eight years in prison continue to serve
prison sentences imposed in unfair trials, whereas people who spent years as leaders or active members of armed groups
have been granted an amnesty or exempted from judicial prosecution in a matter of days after giving themselves up,"
Amnesty International said.
Amnesty International shares the concerns of victims and families of victim in Algeria that their appeals for truth and
justice have not been heeded.
The human rights organization calls on the Algerian government to:
- Investigate urgently the thousands of killings, massacres, "disappearances", abductions, cases of torture, and other
grave abuses committed since 1992 by security forces, state-armed militias and armed groups which call themselves
"Islamic groups", and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice.
- Declare the wholesale amnesties, extended also to perpetrators of serious human rights abuses which constitute
violations of international law, to be null and void.
- Ensure that members or leaders of armed groups who have surrendered under the Civil Harmony law and who have been
responsible for human rights abuses are brought to justice.
- Take concrete measures to put an immediate end to arbitrary arrests, secret detentions, torture, "disappearances" and
extrajudicial executions.
- Disband all state-armed militias and ensure that law-enforcement tasks are carried out by adequately trained personnel
operating in an official framework which ensures accountability.
Amnesty International reiterates its condemnation of the killings and other grave human rights abuses committed by
armed groups and calls once again on these groups to stop targeting civilians.
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