Algeria Considers Amnesty to End Violence, State Radio Says

By Ahmed Rouaba

Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A general amnesty is being considered for Algerians involved in the conflict between insurgent Islamists and the government, which has claimed 100,000 lives since 1992, state-run Algeria Radio reported.

Farouk Ksentini, the head of the government human rights commission, told Algeria Radio today that he expects the amnesty granting immunity from prosecution to start in 2010.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s decade in power has been marked by a crackdown on anti-government, Islamic militant groups, some of which disbanded in response to an amnesty he proposed.

Kesentini said on Algeria Radio those reconciliation measures have had a success rate of up to 90 percent.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601104&sid=aEjUmCkjPjMk.