Algeria: Over 54,000 People Indicted For Terrorism

Some 17,000 terrorists were also killed by the army and security forces between 1992 and 2012.

Algerian authorities have over the years stepped up efforts to contain terrorist activities by bringing to book thousands of suspects. The Minister of Justice, Tayeb Louh, told the Senate earlier this week that 54,457 people have been indicted for terrorism since 1992, a period of 24 years. Radio France Internationale cited the Minister as clarifying that the figure included those already convicted, awaiting trial and who have repented of their activities.

It was the first time the authorities were making public details on the country’s fight against terrorism since the bloody war in the early 1990s against Islamist militants. Tayeb Louh, who was responding to questions from members of the Parliamentary Committee on Judicial and Administrative Affairs and Human Rights of the National Council, did not however mention the number of repented terrorists or suspects awaiting trial. Amnesty for terrorists was made possible by a 2005 law on national reconciliation.

Tayeb Louh explained that the centralised, secured database on terrorism was also put in place to monitor the activities of people considered to be potentially dangerous. This is why the list includes people who have been forbidden from leaving the country, he noted. According...