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French President Nicolas Sarkozy
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
France’s Antiterrorism Tactics Questioned
A human rights organization is questioning France’s antiterrorism tactics, at a time when the country faces a significant threat from an al-Qaida cell in Algeria.
30-Second Summary
According to a report conducted by Human Rights Watch, France’s antiterrorism strategies are unlawful and prevent fair trials for suspects. An article in The New York Times said France “allows authorities to arrest and interrogate large numbers of people even when they have nothing to do with suspected terrorist activity.”
In Europe, France has stood out for its counterterrorism success, and the French government has said its flexible laws and judicial system have been key to preventing attacks. But Human Rights Watch finds fault with France’s system, which limits suspects’ access to lawyers in the crucial early stages of investigations.
The terrorism threat in France is real. A group of Algerian militants, known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, have been expanding its presence, and is strongly anti-French. The sentiment stems from the Algerian war of independence that occurred in the 1950s and ’60s.
France still maintains its ties to Algeria, according to The New York Times. In June 2008, France signed agreements to develop Algeria’s military and nuclear arsenal.
In Europe, France has stood out for its counterterrorism success, and the French government has said its flexible laws and judicial system have been key to preventing attacks. But Human Rights Watch finds fault with France’s system, which limits suspects’ access to lawyers in the crucial early stages of investigations.
The terrorism threat in France is real. A group of Algerian militants, known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, have been expanding its presence, and is strongly anti-French. The sentiment stems from the Algerian war of independence that occurred in the 1950s and ’60s.
France still maintains its ties to Algeria, according to The New York Times. In June 2008, France signed agreements to develop Algeria’s military and nuclear arsenal.
This is not the first time that Human Rights Watch has denigrated France’s antiterrorism techniques, and in 2004, The Washington Post reported on France’s extreme counterterrorism strategies, such as preemptive arrests and ethnic profiling.
Just last month, in June 2008, French President Nicolas Sarkozy committed to revamping France’s defense strategies, which will involve cutting military positions in favor of technologically advanced equipment and intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks.
Sarkozy has not commented on the Human Rights Watch report, and some are calling France’s criticism of U.S. policies in Guantanamo hypocritical in the report’s wake.
Headline Links: France’s policies questioned amid threat
According to a report conducted by Human Rights Watch, France’s antiterrorism strategies are unlawful and prevent fair trials for suspects. The country’s “much-praised system of using sweeping arrests and aggressive interrogations and prosecutions” is being questioned. Meanwhile, “French authorities have been highly critical” of U.S. policies at Guantanamo, The New York Times reports.
Source: The New York Times
A group of Algerian militants known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb “have grown into one of the most potent Osama bin Laden affiliates,” The New York Times reports. The threat is especially potent in France, which controlled Algeria until 1962 and is a prominent supporter and trading partner of Algiers, the capital city. In recent years, French tourists in Mauritania were targeted and killed by members of the Algerian group.
Source: The New York Times
Background: The worst place to be a terrorist?
In November 2004, an article in The Washington Post uncovered France’s strict antiterrorism laws and policies, including aggressive targeting of “Islamic radicals and other people deemed a potential terrorist threat.” Despite the extremeness of France’s tactics, such as preemptive arrests and ethnic profiling, there had been little public scrutiny, according to the article.
Source: The Washington Post
In December 2005, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the French Senate expressing concerns over a drafted law that would allow French police to keep terrorism suspects in custody for longer periods without enhanced judicial safeguards. The letter requested stronger protection of detainees’ rights “to an effective defense and right to challenge the lawfulness of the detention.”
Source: Human Rights Watch
In May 2008, Foreign Policy magazine named France one of the “worst places to be a terrorist.” Investigations into terrorist activities “are overseen by a special unit of magistrates with unprecedented powers,” which often results in detainees being held for years without trial, as well as police brutality in Muslim neighborhoods.
Source: Foreign Policy
Related Topics: France defense overhaul; Guantanamo ruling
In June 2008, France committed to overhauling its national defense strategies by “creating a leaner, more technological and mobile army, shifting the emphasis towards intelligence,” the Daily Telegraph reported. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy said terrorism was the biggest threat to the country, and combating it would require reducing defense jobs in favor of cutting edge equipment. France will also rejoin NATO.
Source: Daily Telegraph
In March 2008, Sarkozy said France would increase its troop presence in Afghanistan to support NATO peace efforts and prevent a Taliban resurgence. According to the BBC, Sarkozy has been working to restore U.S. and British faith in France’s role in NATO and the trans-Atlantic partnership.
Source: The BBC
In June 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo Bay detainees held on charges of terrorism have the right to challenge their captivity in federal courts. The ruling extends habeas corpus, the American right to challenge federal detention, to foreign enemy combatants captured abroad. Some Guantanamo detainees have been held for years without hearings, but critics of the ruling say extending habeas corpus threatens U.S. national security.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: Algerian war for independence
Global Security provides background information on the Algerian National Liberation from 1954 to 1962, including reasons for Algerian resentment of French invaders. Muslims paid 70 percent of Algeria’s direct taxes, which was far out of proportion to their income, for example.
Source: Global Security
A video posted to YouTube, made in 1962, reports on crimes against Algerian citizens committed by the French OAS, a secret army organization of Muslim rebels who fought against Algerian independence.
Source: YouTube
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