UN Human Rights Committee considers report of Algeria

[Al-khiyal]

Lundi 23 juillet 2007 -- La sous-commission de la promotion et de la protection des droits de l’Homme des Nations Unies ouvre aujourd’hui le dossier du 3ème rapport périodique des droits de l’homme, présenté par l’Algérie il y a quelques mois, par la suite elle définira les questions qu’elle posera aux autorités algériennes, aux quelles ces dernières devront répondre en Octobre prochain lors de la discussion du rapport. Cela intervient après des plaintes d’organisations non gouvernementales.

Les experts onusiens étudient le 3ème rapport périodique aujourd’hui dans une réunion à huis clos, qui durera, selon l’agenda de la sous-commission, trois heures. Les autorités algériennes ont indiqué dans ce rapport des axes qui abordent la situation des droits de l’Homme en Algérie. Selon le rapport la loi sur la réconciliation nationale s’est inspirée des législations internationales et ne les contredis en aucun cas, soulignant également le cas des disparus estimant que ce que les autorités sont en mesure de faire est de les compenser, une mesure appliquée par la majorité des pays qui sont passés par des crises semblables à celle qu’a vécu l’Algérie.

Le rapport a également abordé les réformes du secteur de la Justice et les lois adoptées par le parlement.

La situation des droits de l’Homme en Algérie sous la loupe des Nations Unies

[Al-khiyal]

GENEVA, July 23, 2007 -- Relatives of Algerians missing since a 1990s government clampdown on suspected Islamist extremists Monday made an impassioned plea to a key UN human rights panel to keep the case open.

Representatives of the families of the missing said before a meeting of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva that they rejected a two year-old Algerian government amnesty relating to the cases.

The confidential UN Committee meeting about Algeria Monday is due to feed into its public scrutiny of the country's human rights record in October.

The victims' relatives also called for investigations to be opened and for the return of the bodies of their loved ones.

"They say everyone died, that we must turn the page. It's not by turning a page soaked in blood that we'll be able to rebuild this country," said Nassera Dutour, of a group of Algerian families of the missing (CFDA).

"At first we were asking them to bring our children back alive. Now the years have passed, we're asking them to tell the truth and to give us the bodies back," she added.

Dutour has been without news of her son, Amin, since 1997.

In 1992 the army called off elections when the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) took a commanding lead and then banned the FIS, fueling a violent insurgency that claimed at least 150,000 lives.

The Algerian government acknowledged two years ago that "state agents" were responsible for the disappearance of 6,146 people between 1992 and 1998.

However, in September 2005, an Algerian government "Charter for peace and national reconciliation" aimed at securing closure of the 1990s conflict was adopted in a referendum. The charter included a clause rejecting any allegations that blamed the state for a "deliberate" campaign of disappearances.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and CFDA said in a statement that the policy encouraged impunity in Algeria.

Human rights groups estimate that between 8,200 and 18,000 Algerians went missing during the 1990s.

The CFDA and FIDH have called for a full South African-style truth and reconciliation commission, saying that it was the only way to consolidate peace and ensure that families knew the truth about the fate of their loved ones.

The panel of 18 legal experts oversees the world's primary human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Relatives urge UN to probe fate of Algeria's missing

[Al-khiyal]

La situation des droits de l’Homme en Algérie sous la loupe des Nations Unies

July 23, 2007 -- The UN Human Rights Protection and Promotion sub-Commission will examine on Monday (July 23rd) a report submitted by the Algerian authorities on the country's human rights record, El Khabar reported. In October, Algerian officials will have to respond to UN experts with questions on the reports. The current report examines issues such as compliance of national legislation with international law, compensation for families of victims of the national tragedy and ongoing terror attacks, justice reform and recent laws adopted by the National Assembly.

UN commission to examine Algeria human rights situation

[Al-khiyal]

Relatives urge UN to probe fate of Algeria's missing

Families of Algeria’s missing people search for truth at UN

[Al-khiyal]

Mardi 24 Juillet 2007 -- Le dossier des disparus en Algérie, que les autorités croyaient avoir définitivement clos en 2005 par la Charte sur la paix et la réconciliation nationale, rebondit à Genève. Les familles des disparus doivent, en effet, demander à l'ONU de rouvrir ce dossier, à l'occasion de la réunion du Comité des droits de l'Homme de l'ONU, qui a débuté hier.

Le comité est composé de 18 experts indépendants dont la compétence est reconnue dans le domaine des droits de l'Homme. Ils sont chargés de vérifier la conformité des actes des États avec le Pacte international sur les droits civils et politiques. Ces familles, qui demandent l'ouverture d'enquêtes et la restitution des corps, sont généralement opposées au “pardon” que le président Abdelaziz Bouteflika a accordé dans le cadre de cette charte qui a mis un point final au cas des disparus, affirmant que “le peuple algérien souverain rejette toute allégation visant à faire endosser par l'État la responsabilité d'un phénomène délibéré de disparition”.

“Ils disent que tout le monde est mort, qu'il faut tourner la page. Ce n'est pas en tournant cette page aussi lourde de sens et de sang que nous pourrons reconstruire ce pays”, s'insurge Nassera Dutour, du Collectif des familles de disparus en Algérie (CFDA), lors d'un passage à Genève. “Au début, nous leur demandions de nous rendre nos enfants vivants. Maintenant, les années ont passé, on leur demande de nous dire la vérité et de nous rendre les corps”, ajoute Mme Dutour, citée par l'Agence france presse (AFP).

Fin mars 2005, le président de la Commission nationale consultative de promotion et de protection des droits de l'Homme (CNCPPDH, officielle), Me Farouk Ksentini, a reconnu que des “agents de l'État” étaient responsables de la disparition de 6 146 personnes entre 1992 et 1998. “Ces disparitions ont bel et bien eu lieu et sont le fait d'agents des institutions de l'État, des membres des forces de l'ordre” ayant “agi à titre individuel” et “en toute illégalité”. Elles “n'ont pas été le fait de ces institutions elles-mêmes”, avait-il affirmé.

Un certificat de décès et une indemnisation ont alors été proposés aux familles. Pour le CFDA et la Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme (FIDH), cette politique “consacre l'impunité et prône l'oubli”. Par ailleurs, les ONG, qui estiment les disparus entre 8 200 pour le CFDA à 18 000 pour la Ligue algérienne des droits de l'Homme, critiquent les pressions exercées pour obliger les gens à accepter les indemnisations. “À deux reprises, des représentants des autorités sont venus chez ma mère pour la convaincre d'accepter l'indemnisation”, affirme Nassera Dutour, sans nouvelles de son fils depuis 1997.

La CFDA et la FIDH estiment dès lors que seul “l'établissement d'une commission pour la vérité, la paix et la conciliation permettrait aux victimes d'exercer leur droit à la vérité et de consolider la paix”. Les experts du Comité des droits de l'Homme rendront leurs conclusions lors d'une prochaine session en octobre.

En mars 2006, Me Farouk Ksentini avait indiqué que l'Algérie avait choisi de “renoncer à la vérité judiciaire au profit de la vérité morale et du pardon”, estimant qu'elle “n'a pas les moyens d'organiser des milliers de procès en assises” pour juger les coupables.

La charte sur la réconciliation nationale y a mis fin définitivement en 2005 :
Le dossier des disparus rebondit à Genève

[Al-khiyal]

Samedi 28 juillet 2007 -- La sous-commission des Nation Unies pour la protection et la promotion des droits de l’Homme a pris connaissance des questions soulevées par les ONG algériennes activant dans le champ des droits de l’Homme, durant sa 89ème session inaugurée le 23 du mois en cours, consacrée à donner suite au rapport soumit par l’Algérie.

Parallèlement à l’ouverture du dossier des droits de l’Homme en Algérie par la commission onusienne, une organisation des droits de l’Homme à Genève, « La Dignité », a lancé un appel à la société civile ainsi qu’aux ligues algériennes des droits de l’Homme, les syndicats autonomes, les journalistes et les avocats afin de se prononcer sur le rapport déposé par le gouvernement algérien à Genève.

La dernière remarque soulevée par la commission des Nations Unies sur « les violations des droits de l’Homme », était l’affaire de l’homicide commis par un élu local, Ismail Mira, la semaine dernière. Selon des sources, cette affaire a été inscrite dans les questions à débattre.

Après examen du rapport algérien, des organisations, associations et personnalités connues pour leur activité dans les droits de l’Homme et les questions connexes, ont émis des remarques relatives aux disparitions forcées, l’état d’urgence, l’égalité entre les sexes, les implications des attentats terroristes et leurs répercussions sur les droits de l’Homme, en plus d’un rapport sur l’Amazighité en Algérie, élaboré par la conférence mondiale à l’Amazighité, qui dénonce la non officialisation de la langue Tamazight.

La situation des droits de l’Homme en Algérie en débat

[Al-khiyal]

Amnesty International:
Algeria
Briefing to the Human Rights Committee

October 1st 2007

Introduction

Amnesty International submits this briefing for consideration by the Human Rights Committee in view of its forthcoming examination of Algeria’s third periodic report on measures taken to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This briefing summarizes some of Amnesty International’s main concerns on Algeria, as documented in a number of the organization’s past reports. The organization highlights in particular its concerns about the failure of the state party to fully comply with its obligations under Articles 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22 and 24 of the ICCPR. These concerns relate broadly to the failure of the state party to provide an effective remedy to victims of human rights abuses, continuing discrimination against women and a persistent pattern of secret detention and torture.

Algeria submitted its third periodic report (1) to the Human Rights Committee in December 2006, six years late. Algeria’s second periodic report to the Human Rights Committee was considered in 1998. At the time, the country was in the midst of an internal conflict, sparked by the cancellation in 1992 of the multi-party elections which the Islamic Salvation Front (Front Islamique du Salut, FIS), an Islamist political party, was widely expected to win. A state of emergency was declared, the FIS was banned and the military took power. Seeking to claim the electoral victory of the FIS by means of violence, armed groups targeted state institutions and increasingly civilians thought to have backed the military coup, or to have failed to conform to their conception of "Islamic" values. Armed groups have been responsible for widespread human rights abuses, including unlawful killings, abductions, torture and rape, abuses which Amnesty International abhors and condemns. The Algerian authorities also played a major part in escalating the violence to root out support for the FIS by some sections of the population, in the name of countering terrorism. The state security forces and, later, state-armed militia (referred to by the authorities as "legitimate defence groups", "self-defence groups" or "patriots") committed massive human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, secret and arbitrary detentions, and torture and other ill-treatment of thousands of real or suspected members or supporters of armed groups.

Today, Algeria is emerging from more than a decade of violence in which as many as 200,000 people (2) are believed to have been killed. The Algerian government has sought to turn the page on the violence by adopting amnesty measures for members of armed groups who laid down their arms, in 1999 and 2000, and more recently in 2005-2006. Although the level of violence has markedly reduced since the end of the 1990s, killings still occur today. According to media reports, which rely on security sources and cannot be independently verified, more than 300 people were killed by either armed factions or government security forces in 2006, including over 70 civilians. 265 people were reported to have been killed between 1 January and 1 August 2007 (3) in the context of continued fighting between security forces and remaining armed factions who have refused to surrender under the government amnesty measures. In 2007, there has been a resurgence of bomb attacks, some of which appear to have deliberately targeted civilians. For instance, on 11 April bomb attacks in Algiers killed 33 people and injured more than 200. On 6 September, a suicide attack in Batna killed at least 22 people and injured 107, after the attacker reportedly triggered a bomb in the middle of a crowd gathered for a visit by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the town. Amnesty International condemned both attacks. (4)

Responsibility for these attacks was claimed by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat, GSPC) which, according to a statement posted in January 2007 on a website believed to be linked to the group, reportedly changed its name to the al-Qa’ida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb. The GSPC is alleged to be the main remaining armed faction fighting against the Algerian authorities, although its leadership, composition and motivations are more and more unclear. It is increasingly difficult to discern a clear rationale behind most attacks by armed factions, whose members are also believed to engage in other criminal activities, such as smuggling, protection rackets and money-laundering. The reported affiliation of the GSPC to al-Qa’ida seemed to correspond with an increasing targeting of civilians through the use of suicide and other bomb attacks.

The grim legacy of the conflict weighs heavily on the Algerian people. No section of the society has been left untouched by the violence. Rather than addressing this legacy in conformity with their obligations under the ICCPR, the Algerian authorities have endorsed impunity and effectively deprived victims of their right to obtain truth, justice and reparations. The almost complete de facto impunity enjoyed by members of the security forces and state militia has been extended to members of armed groups, who have, since 1999, benefited from successive amnesty measures, failing to recognize the right of the victims to obtain an effective remedy for the violations to which they were subjected. Impunity has been firmly entrenched under recent presidential decrees, issued in February 2006, implementing the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, a framework document adopted by national referendum in 2005.

Notwithstanding the decrease in violence and gross human rights abuses associated with the internal conflict, serious violations of the rights enshrined in the ICCPR continue in Algeria, including secret detention and torture by the Department for Information and Security (Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité, DRS), a branch of the Algerian intelligence services, in the context of the government’s counter-terrorism operations. Legal provisions introduced in national law in 2004criminalizing torture, while welcome, have not put an end to persistent allegations of torture by members of the DRS.

The Algerian authorities have taken many positive steps to address discrimination between men and women, which is entrenched in law and in practice. They substantially amended the Family Code and the Nationality Code in 2005 to give women more rights, by adopting Decree no 05-02 of 27 February 2005, amending and completing Law no. 84-11 of 9 June 1984, the Family Code and Decree no 05-01, amending the Nationality Code. A law criminalizing sexual harassment in the workplace was adopted in 2004. The authorities allowed a visit by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women in February 2007. This is notable because, apart from a visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in 2002, and the principle of a visit of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Algerian government has not acceded to other requests to visit the country made by UN human rights experts, including the Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism. However, Algerian law still contains provisions which discriminate between men and women. Moreover, the authorities have not taken sufficient measures to protect women from violence, whether in the context of the conflict or within the family.

Structural changes are needed if Algeria is to overcome the consequences of the human rights crisis which has blighted the country, in particular changes in law and in practice which reflect Algeria’s obligations under the ICCPR. In this respect, we are concerned that the recommendations of the Human Rights Committee to the Algerian authorities in 1998 have not been adequately implemented and that this may signal a lack of political will on the part of the Algerian authorities to fully subscribe to their obligations under international human rights law.