Freedom House dénonce la dérive antidémocratique du pouvoir algérien

[Al-khiyal]

Lundi 1 Octobre 2007 -- La démocratie peine à s’installer dans les pays d’Afrique du Nord. Dans son dernier rapport rendu public aujourd’hui, Freedom House, une ONG américaine qui évalue la liberté dans les divers pays du monde, dresse un constat très sévère de l’état des libertés dans quatre pays de cette zone : l’Algérie, l’Egypte, la Libye et la Tunisie. « Bien que l’Afrique du Nord ait enregistré des progrès économiques au cours des deux dernières années, les dirigeants de l’Algérie, de l’Egypte, de la Libye et de la Tunisie restent fondamentalement anti-démocratiques », souligne l’ONG. Dans certains pays, Freedom House note même une régression par rapport aux acquis démocratiques passés.

« En dépit d'un certain succès dans la mise en application des réformes économiques, la rhétorique des chefs d’Etat d’Afrique du Nord concernant une augmentation des libertés politiques demeure vide, et les libertés civiles restent extrêmement restreintes », note le rapport.

Le texte (accessible en arabe - .pdf file) épingle fortement l’Algérie et le président Bouteflika. « L'Algérie a accompli des progrès considérables vers la réduction de la violence interne et l’amélioration des conditions économiques (...) Cependant, le Président Abdelaziz Bouteflika a été peu disposé à démocratiser la vie politique du pays et le propulser vers une véritable économie de marché. Il continue à s’octroyer davantage de pouvoirs, contredisant ses engagements en faveur d’une démocratisation accrue et ce dans un contexte marqué par des interrogations sur son état de santé », souligne Freedom House.

Dans ce contexte, un haut responsable de Freedom House s’est dit « complètement désespéré » pour l’avenir des libertés et de la démocratie en Afrique du Nord.

Freedom House dénonce la dérive antidémocratique du pouvoir algérien

[Al-khiyal]

October 1, 2007 -- Although North Africa has experienced some economic progress over the past two years, the leaders of Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia remain fundamentally undemocratic and, in some cases, have reversed earlier gains in freedom, according to a report released by Freedom House.

Countries at the Crossroads, an annual survey of government performance in 30 strategically important countries worldwide, reported that despite some success in implementing economic reforms, North African leaders’ rhetoric about increasing political freedoms remains empty, and civil liberties remain extremely restricted.

The narrative and scores from Countries at the Crossroads 2007 for Algeria (Arabic version), Egypt (Arabic version), Libya (Arabic version), and Tunisia are available online.

“Government officials across North Africa have placed an emphasis on economic growth in their countries, and have had some success,” said Thomas O. Melia, deputy executive director of Freedom House. “However, those same leaders are doing very little to achieve political reform, which imposes limits on how far economic progress may go. Many have been in power for years — in some cases decades — and yet haven’t achieved significant reforms.”

Most of the countries in the region have made strides economically in the past two years. In Tunisia, the government continues to have some success with new economic strategies, as well as with education and anti-poverty policies. Nonetheless, political conditions remain extremely restricted. President Zine Al-Abidine Bin Ali continues his policy of “institutionalization,” creating the appearance of democracy without the substance. There is no opportunity for the rotation of power among political parties or leaders representing competing interests and policy options.

In Libya, the government finally succeeded in ending its isolation and has re-joined the international community. Although the government has taken some tentative steps in the direction of economic reform, political change has remained largely off the agenda. President Muammar Qadhafi continues to impose his own ideology on the population and maintains control over virtually all aspects of life inside the country, as he has for the past 38 years.

Algeria also has made considerable progress toward reducing internal violence, improving economic conditions, and reforming some public institutions. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been unwilling, however, to spend political capital on democratizing the country’s political process and moving toward a market-propelled economy. He continues to bid for greater authority, contradicting his spoken commitment to democracy.

“Prospects for political freedom in the region are not completely hopeless,” said Richard Eisendorf, senior program manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Freedom House. “The Tunisian and Libyan governments both released a number of political prisoners last year, and both are supporting women rights. Additionally, Algeria’s charter on truth and reconciliation helped move that nation forward and away from violence. But when one examines the big picture, it is clear that the ability of people in the region to enjoy universally-accepted political and civil rights is still extremely limited,” added Mr. Eisendorf.

Only in Egypt has the government been both economically unsuccessful as well as politically repressive. In 2006 and 2007, President Hosni Mubarak turned his back on his 2005 campaign promises of enacting political reforms; instead, he waged a national campaign to crack down on dissidents.

The Freedom House survey, Countries at the Crossroads, provides a comparative evaluation of government performance in four touchstone areas of democratic governance: Accountability and Public Voice, Civil Liberties, Rule of Law, and Anticorruption and Transparency. This survey examines these areas of performance in a set of 30 countries that are at a critical crossroads in determining their political future.

Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom around the world, has been monitoring political rights and civil liberties in North Africa since 1972.

Despite economic growth, political freedom in North Africa is stagnant or declining

[Al-khiyal]

Freedom House dresse un tableau noir
de la situation de la démocratie en Algérie

[Al-khiyal]

Jeudi 4 octobre 2007 -- D’une rare virulence, le dernier rapport de l’ONG américaine Freedom House est sans concession avec l’Algérie. Consacré à l’état des libertés en Afrique du Nord, le document qui reprend les thèses des adeptes du “qui tue qui ?” plaide pour le retour du FIS sur la scène politique tout en émettant des doutes sur le processus de démocratisation de l’Algérie. «Bien que l’Afrique du Nord ait enregistré des progrès économiques au cours des deux dernières années, les dirigeants de l’Algérie, de l’Egypte, de la Libye et de la Tunisie restent fondamentalement antidémocratiques».

Sur le «cas» Algérie, Freedom House considère que cette dernière «a accompli des progrès considérables vers la réduction de la violence interne et l’amélioration des conditions économiques. Cependant, le président Abdelaziz Bouteflika a été peu disposé à démocratiser la vie politique du pays et le propulser vers une véritable économie de marché. Il continue à s’octroyer davantage de pouvoirs, contredisant ses engagements en faveur d’une démocratisation accrue et ce, dans un contexte marqué par des interrogations sur son état de santé».

L’ONG américaine estime que le président algérien a tendance à «concentrer trop de pouvoirs entre ses mains» et à en abuser dans un contexte où «les systèmes législatif et judiciaire fonctionnent comme des appendices de l’Exécutif». Le Parlement, décrit comme une structure ne servant qu’à approuver les décisions du gouvernement «ne sert plus à rien, du moment où le président profite des périodes d’entre deux sessions parlementaires pour légiférer par ordonnance et que les nombreuses enquêtes parlementaires n’aboutissent jamais».

Dans le chapitre consacré aux recommandations, l’ONG appelle le Parlement à jouer pleinement son rôle. Si elle reconnaît que la situation sécuritaire a connu une nette amélioration, Freedom House n’approuve pas la politique de réconciliation nationale qui, selon les dires du rédacteur du rapport, n’a pas favorisé l’équité en offrant «la protection aux responsables des exactions». L’ONG ne demande ni plus ni moins que l’introduction d’amendements au texte sur la réconciliation nationale, l’ouverture du débat sur les responsabilités des auteurs des crimes ainsi que le jugement des «fonctionnaires » de l’Etat responsables des exactions.

Au sujet des libertés individuelles, l’organisation non gouvernementale porte un regard tout aussi critique, estimant que le champ médiatique reste verrouillé et que les libertés syndicales sont loin d’être respectées. Freedom House en veut pour preuve les difficultés que rencontrent des syndicats et des partis politiques pour l’obtention des agréments et l’hégémonie de la Centrale syndicale. L’ONG estime que le maintien de l’état d’urgence n’est qu’un prétexte pour étouffer davantage les libertés et appelle d’ailleurs à sa levée. L’ONG recommande également l’amendement du code pénal afin de prévoir des sanctions plus sévères à l’encontre des auteurs de violence conjugale.

Sur un plan économique, Freedom House en appelle à une libéralisation tous azimuts, notamment celle des banques publiques et à la mise en place d’un système d’information économique des plus fiables, capable d’assurer plus de transparence. Si elle considère que l’Algérie a su gérer les scandales financiers, l’ONG, qui considère que l’adoption de lois pour la lutte contre la corruption est loin de résoudre le problème, appelle à une plus grande protection des personnes dénonçant la corruption.

Droits de l'Homme : Freedom House épingle l'Algérie

[Al-khiyal]

October 5, 2007 -- In a recent report, international NGO Freedom House criticises the refusal by Algeria's Interior Ministry to allow members of the dissolved Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) to establish a political party. In the report released Monday (October 1st), entitled "Countries at the Crossroads", the US-based organisation says the Algerian government has effectively "frozen the political party landscape, hindering any effective challenge to the dominance of the FLN-RND-MSP coalition."

Algerian authorities, according to Freedom House, have rejected several political parties' requests for authorisation - in particular those lodged by the Movement for Freedom and Social Justice, led by former FIS official Anouar Haddam. The report also mentions Ali Benhadj and Abbassi Madani, former leader and second-in-command of the FIS, both of whom received 10-year prison sentences after the Blida military tribunal found them guilty in 1992.

The report says the government "should eliminate restrictions on political activities by former members of the FIS and desist from refusing to authorize new political parties." This recommendation, if honoured, would be in contradiction of the terms of Algeria's Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which clearly forbids political activities by officials from the dissolved FIS.

Freedom House acknowledges this detail in the report, saying: "The government and the National Assembly should amend the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation to allow for open, legal discussion of responsibility for past crimes, prosecution of public agents who have committed serious human rights abuses, and mechanisms for citizens to compel public institutions to release evidence about the fate of their family members."

The group also recommends that the state officially repeal the state of emergency that has been in effect since 1992, as it infringes on citizens' rights of free speech and assembly.

The Freedom report has not gone unnoticed in Algeria. Abderrahmane Saîdi, Vice-President of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) criticised the document. He asked, "Where was Freedom House when thousands of Algerian victims were dying in the attacks carried out by the terrorists? What right does it have today to dictate solutions to put the crisis behind us?"

The parliamentarian told Magharebia the report is "unfair" regarding Algeria’s fight against terrorism. On the return of the FIS and the revision of the peace charter, he said "Algeria is sovereign and does not need the advice of NGOs," particularly as "Algeria is subject to unprecedented pressure to change its position on several international issues."

Ali Yahia Abdnour, former President of the Independent League for the Defence of Human Rights said the report ignored an important point: the danger of Islamist extremism. "The report is happy to talk about the security services overstepping the mark in their war against terrorism," forgetting the parallel of "another kind of violence: that perpetrated by the terrorist groups," he said.

The Algerian government has not reacted officially to the report or its recommendations. When asked at the weekly national press conference, Communications Minister Abderrechif Boukerzaza deflected the question. Algerian citizens, however, readily spoke about the report. Seddik Benkharfallah, a construction engineer, called upon Freedom House to "come to the heart of Algeria and talk to people who lived through the torment of the GIA."

"Terrorism has ravaged Algeria, the people have suffered too much and now they want to live in peace. Why doesn’t Freedom House deign to talk about Algerian victims, rather than worrying about the political future of the FIS leadership," demanded Samia Halami, a teacher.

Freedom House calls for FIS leaders' return to politics