For Immediate Release:
January 8, 1998
Contact: Sam Husseini
(202) 244-2990
Arab Americans Strongly Condemn Bloodshed in Algeria
ADC Calls for Action by Arab League
–Washington, D.C.: The Arab American community has watched with growing shock and concern the mounting carnage in Algeria. Tens of thousands of Algerians have been killed in the civil war that began after the authorities canceled elections in 1992. There have been scores of massacres with hundreds of people being butchered and there seems to be no end to the human suffering. This tragedy must end forthwith and the culprits must be brought to justice. The ADC condemns all those culpable irrespective of their political affiliations. The focus should be on the well-being and unity of the Algerian people as the driving force for any credible peace efforts.
The president of the ADC has sent letters to the Secretary Generals of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Conference asking these organizations to take immediate action that ensures the security and safety of the Algerian people. These organizations can ensure the integrity of information coming from Algeria so that criminals can be identified and remedies found.
This bloodshed can no longer be tolerated and we appeal to all Algerians, whose liberation struggle was a monument to human freedom, to set a course for their country based on peaceful understanding.
(Note to Editors: ADC is the largest Arab-American grassroots organization in the country. It is a non-sectarian, non-partisan service organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Americans of Arab descent and combating anti-Arab racism, discrimination, and stereotyping.)