Algeria: avoiding civil warIn 2002, Algeria emerged from a decade-long, bloody civil war between the military government and Islamist insurgency. “Transitional justice consisted of a national amnesty, and it is working in Algeria in so far as there hasn’t been a return to civil war. An amnesty law, meanwhile, ensures that there will be virtually no accounting for past atrocities committed by both sides, said Jebari. These kind of challenges are very localized and focused on present-day demands, which makes it harder for transitional justice to lead to national reconciliation.”ConclusionsJebari said he firmly believes in the principle, and the necessity, of a transitional justice that makes people truly accountable for crimes they committed, to deter future authoritarian leaders, if nothing else. “For example, they know that the population would rather live under authoritarianism than under civil war.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 22, 2018 14:48 UTC