Algeria

The human rights situation in Algeria remains extremely serious with widespread killings of civilians by armed groups, security forces and state-armed militias. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the current conflict began in 1992. Thousands have "disappeared" after being taken away be the security forces and thousands have been abducted and killed by armed groups and their bodies never found. Hundreds of thousands have been wounded in violent attacks, tortured or suffered the agony of losing a family member.

The Cardiff Group is involved in ongoing activities to highlight "disappearances" in Algeria, whether carried out by the government or other groups, and to write letters to the Algerian authorities to express our concerns.

We have recently also written to the British government expressing fears about a number of Algerian men threatened with deportation, as Amnesty believes they are at real risk of human rights abuses, including torture.

Djamel Fahassi

Over recent years we have been working on behalf of a specific individual who disappeared during this time. His name is Djameleddine (Djamel) Fahassi, a journalist and married man, with one child. He disappeared on 6 May 1995, after being arrested outside a café in the district of al-Harrach (suburb of Algiers) by 3 men with walkie-talkies. He was forced into a car and has not been seen since.

The focus has been two-fold:

• to write to the Algerian authorities to try to get information about Djamel, what happened to him, and where he is now;
• to try to draw attention in this country to the situation in Algeria.

We are in regular contact with Djamel's wife, Safia, who is a member of a group of people in Algeria who all have 'disappeared' relatives or friends. Her e-mails paint a picture of everyday life and tireless campaigning which remain a constant inspiration for those working on his case. For details of the group's actions to mark the tenth anniversary in 2005 see our Algeria news extra.

For the latest Amnesty reports on Algeria see the library pages of amnesty.org