Summary

Lakhdar Bouzenia was a teacher of Arabic literature at the high school of Sidi Abdelaziz. A political figure in the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), he had been elected on the FIS list for the Chefka constituency in the first round of the legislative elections, held on December 26, 1991. On May 24, 1993, he was arrested at a roadblock set up by the National Gendarmerie in the town of El Ancer, in Jijel wilaya. According to his mother, another of her sons, Hussein Bouzenia, who had been elected president of the communal people’s assembly (mayor) of the town of Chefka on the FIS list, was also arrested during this period, as were dozens of other FIS militants.

Following his arrest, Lakhdar Bouzenia was held incommunicado at the headquarters of the Jijel military sector for approximately three weeks, before being transferred to the Territorial Centre for Research and Investigation (CTRI) in Constantine, run by the Intelligence and Security Department (DRS) of the People’s National Army. He was then detained by several brigades of the gendarmerie in turn, including the El Ancer, El Milia, Settara and El Aouana brigades.

He was not seen again until one month after his arrest, when he appeared, without a lawyer, before the investigating judge at El Milia Court; during this court appearance, he had difficulty remaining standing. He was scarcely recognisable owing to the torture inflicted during his detention by DRS and the gendarmerie, which included crucifixion (there were visible wounds on his hands and feet) and sexual abuse. Despite these visible signs of ill-treatment, the judge refused to have him examined by a doctor. During the hearing, he was charged with “formation and membership of a terrorist organisation”, “breach of State security”, “dissemination of seditious publications”, and other similar offences. No evidence was entered in the case file.

Following his appearance before the investigating judge, Lakhdar Bouzenia was transferred to the Jijel detention centre, where he was held in solitary confinement until October 27, 1993, and also endured ill-treatment and acts of torture. While he was detained, his family was able to visit him several times. During one of these visits, on August 8, 1993, one of his brothers observed signs of the torture to which Lakhdar Bouzenia had been subjected. His brother Hussein Bouzenia, who had been arrested during the same period and held in the same detention centre in Jijel until his transfer to another centre on October 27, 1993, learned that his brother had reportedly been taken from the prison on several occasions to be interrogated by DRS agents in their offices and that he had probably been tortured there.

Lakhdar Bouzenia was to be transferred to Constantine prison on October 27, 1993, to await his trial, which was scheduled to start on November 17, 1993. The prison van, which was escorted by gendarmerie vehicles and was carrying only Lakhdar Bouzenia, left the Jijel detention centre at around 11 a.m. but never arrived at its destination. The administration of Constantine prison denied having taken custody of, or having admitted, Lakhdar Bouzenia. His family fears that he was arbitrarily executed during the transfer. On October 31, 1993, the victim’s family learned through the press that 11 notorious terrorists, including one Lakhdar Bouzenia, had been eliminated in Taskift on October 27, 1993, by the Algerian security forces. It is precisely on the road linking Jijel and Constantine that the town of Taskift is located. On November 17, 1993, the trial of the victim and his brother, Hussein Bouzenia, began as scheduled. After a moment of confusion due to the absence of Lakhdar Bouzenia, who was to have appeared as a detained defendant, the judge announced the discontinuation of the criminal proceedings against him on account of his death.