Algeria: National Assembly votes to maintain two-decade ban on FIS

As anticipated, the National Assembly (parliament) voted on 6th December to maintain the two-decade ban on the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS). This will ensure that the FIS is unable to participate in next March's parliamentary elections and, therefore, remains locked out of power. The FIS, it will be recalled, won the vast bulk of the seats in the December 1991 elections but the army stepped in to cancel the second round of voting in January 1992 in an effective coup d'état which brought the current regime to power.

The National Assembly vote did not actually mention the FIS by name. It merely upheld the ban on “any person responsible for the exploitation of religion having led to the national tragedy (civil war) from founding a party or participating in its creation”.

The continuation of the ban was widely expected, having been recommended by the presidential commission that was established in the spring. The Assembly also approved an amendment that stipulated a ban being extended to all persons who have “participated in terrorist acts and who refuse to recognise their responsibility in the conception, the preparation and the execution of a policy in favour of violence against institutions of the state”.

In Doha, the FIS' exiled veteran leader, Abassi Madani, said the decision “violated international conventions on political and civic rights”. He said that he was going to take the matter to the UN and other international bodies. Back in Algiers, his deputy, Ali Belhadj said that he would demonstrate publicly against the ruling. He and his brother, Abdelhamid Belhadj, were both taken into custody for a number of hours, before being released.

As a number of commentators remarked, the government had placed itself in a 'lose-lose' situation. Having spent the last few years telling the world that “the FIS doesn't represent anyone”, why did they feel it necessary to ban it? On the other hand, if they had allowed it to stand in the March 2012 elections there is the distinct probability that it would once again have won.

As it is, most Algerians will almost certainly boycott next year's election. Although the government will no doubt falsify the turnout figures, as it has done in every election this century, the 'real' turnout is anticipated at only being between 15 and 25 per cent.

For more news and expert analysis about Algeria, please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Algeria - Ali Belhadj arrested following protest at US Embasy

Ali Belhadj and three other well-known and respected leaders of opposition movements were arrested on Monday 31st May while protesting at the American Embassy in Algiers against Israel's heavy-handed response to the Gaza aid flotilla.

The FIS, readers will recall, was prohibited from taking power in January 1992 by a coup d'état by the country's most powerful generals. After establishing an overwhelming lead in the first round of the very democratic 1991-92 general election, the military stepped in and annulled the second round of voting, which would have secured the FIS' electoral victory. This military coup d'état took the country into its Dirty War, from which it has still not fully recovered.

The three men arrested with Belhadj were:

> Dr Ahmed ben Mohamed, one of the signatories to the 'Sant' Egidio' National Contract in January 1995. The Contract, drawn up and signed in Rome under the auspices of the Catholic Sant' Egidio Community, was an attempt by the FIS and most of Algeria's other political parties to establish 'political pluralism' and peace. The notable exception to the talks was the government, which at that time had just received both IMF and US financial backing (through Halliburton) and had no desire to end the war.

> Abdelkhader Dehbi, well known for his frequent writings in Quotidien d'Algerie, is a leader of the 19th March Movement. Named after the day of the ceasefire between France and Algeria in 1962, the movement, which is similar to the Rachad movement, was created about two years ago. Its aim is to overthrow the current regime by peaceful means and to establish democratic government in Algeria. Its founder was Sallaheddine Sidhoun, who also contributes to Quotidien d'Algerie.

> Sidhoun is a surgeon who was given a 20-year prison sentence for giving surgical help to the GIA. Instead of going to jail, he went underground. After some ten years, he emerged, made a lot of public noise and went to court, where he was declared innocent! Both Sidhoun and Dehbi were celebrated maquisards (mujahideen) in the Algerian War of Independence.

In February 2010 (see Algeria P&S - 19.02.10), Dehbi, who was a close friend of Bouteflika before he became president, asked him to stand down as president as he was destroying Algeria. The full text of Dehbi's letter can be accessed here.

The fourth person arrested was Lakhdar Bouregaa who was commander of Wilaya IV in the Algerian War of Independence and a member of the National Council of the FLN. He was a founder, alongside Ait Ahmed, of the FFS. Bouregaa was accused of being involved in Tahar Zbiri's unsuccessful revolt against former president Houari Boumédiène in 1967, and was reportedly tortured in prison until released in 1974.

The four men went to the US Embassy after Israel attacked the Gaza aid flotilla and asked to see the Ambassador. A diplomat, whose name we do not have, came out of the Embassy to talk with them. The diplomat was smoking a cigarette. Dr Mohamed asked the diplomat to stop smoking in their presence. He accordingly put the cigarette behind his back before throwing it away. The five men spoke for around 15 minutes before plain-clothes DRS officers, who had been observing the exchange, ordered uniformed police to arrest the four Algerians.

The four were physically seized, one by one, and taken away into detention. Belhadj was taken last and was beaten up in front of the diplomat. According to our sources, his parting words to the diplomat were: 'You do not need to colonise us: that is already being done for you by your puppets.' Belhadj was held in detention for about eight hours while the other three were held for about 2-3 hours.

For more news and expert analysis about Algeria please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.