Switzerland charges former Algerian defense minister with war crimes

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) – Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on Tuesday submitted charges against former Algerian Defense Minister Khaled Nezzar for alleged crimes against humanity committed during Algeria's civil war between 1992 and 1994.

The OAG charged 85-year-old Nezzar at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, in the Swiss canton of Ticino, for crimes against humanity committed between 1992 and 1994 during Algeria's civil war, the office said in a statement posted on its website.

According to the charges, Nezzar violated international law of war and committed crimes against humanity in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

In the charge sheet, he is alleged to have knowingly and willingly at least approved, coordinated, and encouraged torture and "other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," violations of physical and psychological integrity, arbitrary detentions and sentences, and executions.

Nezzar, the former military general became Algeria's Defense Minister in July 1990. After the Islamic Salvation Front's electoral victory in 1991, he was among the leading generals who decided to depose then-President Chadli Bendjedid and annul the elections, marking the beginning of the Algerian civil war.

On Oct. 19, 2011, TRIAL International, a non-governmental organization that works to combat international crime impunity and supports victims in their quest for justice, filed a criminal complaint against Nezzar, beginning a nearly 12-year-long legal battle.

Although his health is reportedly deteriorating, the NGO stated in a statement posted on its website that his death would likely result in the trial being over.

He is currently said to be living in his hometown of Seriana, in Algeria's Batna Province.