Brussels, 05/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - In an open letter to MEPs, the International Human Rights Federation (IHRF) and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Netwrok (EMHRN) places emphasis on the many human rights violations in Algeria. They cite in particular acts of intimidation perpetrated against defenders of human rights by the Algerian authorities, forced or involuntary disappearances (3000 according to their estimates), "combing" and other military operations conducted by "Legitimate Defence Groups" with the security forces, arbitrary arrests, the generalised practice of torture, summary executions, infringements to the freedom of association, demonstration and expression, as well as the refusal by the Algerian authorities to allow access to the territory for special United Nations rapporteurs and NGOs (also see yesterday's EUROPE page 6).
IHRF and EMHRN call on the European Parliament to take seriously the essential (respect of human rights) clause and to postpone its examination of the Association Agreement signed with Algeria, so as to take the time for an in-depth debate on the situation in the country. The two organisations call on the EP's Foreign Affairs Committee, which was to have an initial exchange of views on this issue this week, to invite representatives of Algerian civil society to one of its forthcoming meetings. They also consider that even were it to provide its assent to this agreement in one of its forthcoming plenary sessions (the current timetable provides for a vote in July), Parliament should accompany this approval with a request aimed at setting up a mechanism for the evaluation and follow-up of the "human rights" clause, through the creation of a joint EU-Algeria working party on human rights that should regularly report to the Council on progress in the matter.