The FIS lost most international support when it resorted to terrorism following the military's coup. Pointing to the savage attacks on the civilian population, the Doula legitimized its power and gained support for its strategy of complete eradication of terrorism. International nongovernmental organizations advocating dialogue between the government and opposition groups have had little success. The U.S. State Department, in its human rights report, meanwhile, accuses the regime of serious human rights abuses, and Amnesty International claims that torture is common practice. In a ritual that repeats itself day after day, desperate women clutching fading photographs of missing relatives file into the cramped law offices of Mohammed Tahari, searching for answers.
Few people place much hope in the upcoming parliamentary vote.
In a flawed constitutional referendum last year, the regime banned parties based on religion and ethnicity. Others say that MSP amounts to little more than a tool of the regime and that the government can afford the MSP in the parliament because it has already awarded most power to the president, who serves the Doula. That, at least, is what passes for optimism in Algeria these days. Inc. All rights reserved.