Hoggar Institute believes that bringing this book to the attention of the English-speaking world is still relevant despite the time that has elapsed since the traumatic\u00a0 events\u00a0 recounted\u00a0 in\u00a0 this\u00a0 book,\u00a0 and\u00a0 notwithstanding\u00a0 the\u00a0 so-called\u00a0 \u2018charter for peace and reconciliation\u2019 currently marketed by president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.<\/p>\n
This book is published at a time the Algerian regime is trying to convince the\u00a0 outside\u00a0 world\u00a0 that\u00a0 it\u00a0 has\u00a0 finally\u00a0 resolved \u00a0the\u00a0 conflict,\u00a0 brought\u00a0 about\u00a0 by\u00a0 the military putsch of January 1992, through the laws enacted in the \u2018charter for peace and reconciliation\u2019.<\/p>\n
This charter was imposed by the Algerian generals calling the shots behind the democratic fa\u00e7ade. No public debate about its content was allowed. Excluded\u00a0 from\u00a0 voicing\u00a0 their\u00a0 opinions\u00a0 about\u00a0 the\u00a0 ways\u00a0 to\u00a0 end\u00a0 the\u00a0 conflict,\u00a0 and\u00a0 put-off\u00a0 by\u00a0 its\u00a0 lack\u00a0 of\u00a0 provision\u00a0 of\u00a0 a\u00a0 modicum\u00a0 of\u00a0 truth,\u00a0 justice,\u00a0 respect\u00a0 and\u00a0 acknowledgement\u00a0 of\u00a0 collective\u00a0 memory,\u00a0 most\u00a0 Algerians\u00a0 did\u00a0 not\u00a0 participate\u00a0 in the 29 September 2005 referendum on this charter, held be under a state of emergency, facts which deprive this charter of the required legitimacy.<\/p>\n
The ordinance 06-01 and presidential decrees 06-93 to 95, with regard to the \u2018charter for peace and reconciliation\u2019, signed by president Bouteflika glorify\u00a0 the\u00a0 perpetrators\u00a0 of\u00a0 crimes\u00a0 against\u00a0 humanity,\u00a0 whose\u00a0 misdeeds\u00a0 are\u00a0 referred\u00a0 to\u00a0 as\u00a0 \u2018patriotic\u00a0 actions\u2019\u00a0 to\u00a0 \u2018safeguard\u00a0 the\u00a0 republic\u2019,\u00a0 and\u00a0 grant \u00a0them\u00a0 a\u00a0 total\u00a0 and\u00a0 unconditional\u00a0 amnesty.\u00a0 The\u00a0 victims\u00a0 mentioned\u00a0 in\u00a0 this\u00a0 charter\u00a0 are\u00a0 classified\u00a0 under\u00a0 only\u00a0 two\u00a0 biased\u00a0 categories, i.e. the \u2018victims of terrorism\u2019, in order\u00a0 to\u00a0 criminalise\u00a0 those\u00a0 who\u00a0 opposed\u00a0 the\u00a0 military\u00a0 coup\u00a0 of\u00a0 January\u00a0 1992,\u00a0 and\u00a0 the\u00a0 \u2018victims\u00a0 of\u00a0 national\u00a0 tragedy\u2019\u00a0 so\u00a0 as\u00a0 to\u00a0 hide\u00a0 the\u00a0 identity\u00a0 of\u00a0 those\u00a0 responsible\u00a0 for\u00a0 state\u00a0 crimes.\u00a0 Other\u00a0 categories\u00a0 of\u00a0 victims\u00a0 are\u00a0 completely\u00a0 excluded,\u00a0 in\u00a0 particular\u00a0 survivors\u00a0 of\u00a0 torture,\u00a0 victims\u00a0 of\u00a0 summary\u00a0 executions,\u00a0 massacres and arbitrary detentions. Even worse, in the case of victims actually\u00a0 recognised\u00a0 by\u00a0 the\u00a0 charter,\u00a0 the\u00a0 families\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 disappeared,\u00a0 the\u00a0 laws\u00a0 enacted\u00a0 condition\u00a0 paying\u00a0 the\u00a0 reparations\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 families\u00a0 on\u00a0 their\u00a0 validation\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 lies\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 regime\u00a0 \u2014\u00a0 accepting\u00a0 death\u00a0 certificates\u00a0 without\u00a0 the\u00a0 bodies,\u00a0 or\u00a0 even knowledge of the fate, of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0 charter\u00a0 manifestly\u00a0 violates\u00a0 the\u00a0 Algerian\u00a0 constitution\u00a0 and\u00a0 all\u00a0 the\u00a0 international\u00a0 legal\u00a0 conventions\u00a0 ratified\u00a0 by\u00a0 Algeria\u00a0 because\u00a0 it\u00a0 forbids\u00a0 victims\u00a0 from\u00a0 resorting\u00a0 to\u00a0 justice,\u00a0 it\u00a0 absolves\u00a0 crimes\u00a0 to\u00a0 which\u00a0 the\u00a0 statute\u00a0 of\u00a0 limitations\u00a0 does\u00a0 not\u00a0 apply,\u00a0 it\u00a0 excludes\u00a0 the\u00a0 possibility\u00a0 of\u00a0 establishing\u00a0 the\u00a0 truth\u00a0 about all human rights violations since the putsch by independent inquiries, it punishes by three to five years imprisonment those who may resort to exercising their right to freedom of speech to hold to account the military top-brass\u00a0 hiding\u00a0 behind\u00a0 the\u00a0 \u2018national\u00a0 tragedy\u2019\u00a0 designation,\u00a0 and\u00a0 it\u00a0 arbitrarily\u00a0 deprives Algerian citizens from exercising their political and civil rights.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hoggar Institute believes that peace and reconciliation are both outcomes and processes that must be preceded by a cessation of hostilities followed by a\u00a0 resolution\u00a0 that\u00a0 addresses\u00a0 the\u00a0 root\u00a0 causes\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 conflict.\u00a0 It\u00a0 considers\u00a0 that\u00a0 truth,\u00a0 justice,\u00a0 collective\u00a0 memory\u00a0 are\u00a0 cornerstones\u00a0 of\u00a0 any\u00a0 meaningful\u00a0 recon-ciliation, and is committed to contributing, through research and publishing, to their realisation in Algeria.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Especially at a time when the soundbites are about peace and reconciliation, to those who may object to Hoggar\u2019s raising the issue of torture as ir-relevant, the answer is in the quote, at the beginning of this foreword, from the\u00a0 currently\u00a0 serving\u00a0 head\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 DRS\u00a0 as\u00a0 well\u00a0 as\u00a0 in\u00a0 the\u00a0 pages\u00a0 of\u00a0 Verg\u00e8s\u2019\u00a0 book which remains as relevant as ever.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hoggar Institute believes that bringing this book to the attention of the English-speaking world is still relevant despite the time that has elapsed since the traumatic\u00a0 events\u00a0 recounted\u00a0 in\u00a0 this\u00a0 book,\u00a0 and\u00a0 notwithstanding\u00a0 the\u00a0 so-called\u00a0 \u2018charter for peace and reconciliation\u2019 currently marketed by president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. This book is published at a time the Algerian regime is trying to convince the\u00a0 outside\u00a0 world\u00a0 that\u00a0 it\u00a0 has\u00a0 finally\u00a0 resolved \u00a0the\u00a0 conflict,\u00a0 brought\u00a0 about\u00a0 by\u00a0 the military…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[40,37],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-algeria","7":"product_cat-politics","9":"first","10":"instock","11":"shipping-taxable","12":"purchasable","13":"product-type-variable","14":"nyp-product"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoggar.org\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}