ALGERIA (Islam Online) - Islam Online has obtained evidence from Algeria showing that the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika might not be as innocent as it claims in the assassination of FIS leader Abdulkader Hachani.
The no. three man in the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), who was shot to death in a dentist's office last Monday, had sent a letter recently to the interior minister informing him that the police interrogated him last month and demanding that such an interrogation not be repeated. Copies of the letter were sent to the president's office and to the Defense Committee (see copy of letter in Islam Online's Arabic pages). The letter gives important clues that help in unveiling the truth of his assassination.
Close friends, relatives and colleagues have pointed out that Hachani was very in pursuing a political dialogue to help the reconciliation process in Algeria. He was in the midst of serious talks with other leaders of FIS, as well as other political figures in the country.
In his letter, sent on the 28th of last month, Hachani stated that a warrant was issued against him on the 13th of October summoning him to security headquarters in the capital the next day. When he reported there the next day, the security officers told him that they would like to "chat" with him. Hachani believed that it was an interrogation, especially when the officers started asking for his personal data. The officers debated politics with him for five hours, seeking his views on what is going on in the country.
In his letter, Hachani also made it clear to the interior Minster that the security agencies are not the right party to engage in politics or peaceful national reconciliation dialogue. In his letter, he said he told the security officers that interrogated him that he does not believe that political dialogue and national reconciliation should be conducted by security agencies.
Hachani also complained about a person who visited him at his house, and found latter that he works with the security offices in Bab El-wad, where Hachani lives. The same person, who calls himself Na'im, came back again to Hachani's house on the same day he was interrogated by the security headquarters, dragged Hachani's son violently and interrogated him about his father's activities. "Na'im" treated the residents of the locality violently when they refused to provide him with information on Sheikh Hachani.
At the end of his letter, Hachani appealed to the minister of interior to pursue the right channels of dialogue and to stop the harassment against him, his family and his neighbors by the security agencies.
In a statement after his assassination, the Islamic Salvation Front Coordination Committee noted that the murder of Hachani coincides with an escalation of the president's rhetoric regarding the opposition. Bouteflika has threatened to exterminate whoever disagrees with his regime's security policy starting in January. The statement also asserted that Sheikh Hachani was brought to police headquarters three weeks ago in order to force him to change his views on the national reconciliation law, which gives militants two months to lay down their arms or be exterminated.
Ahmad Elzawi, who heads the committee, also asserted that Sheikh Hachani had complained to him lately from the harassment of the intelligence agents.
One clear indication of the government's responsibility for the assassination is that it would be impossible for any other party to get near him because he is constantly shadowed by government agents.
The communiqué held the Algerian government - primarily the president, the top army commander and the heads of the security agencies - responsible for the assassination of Sheikh Hachani. "The phony condemnation made by the president and some other officials does not free them from the responsibility of Hachani's assassination," the communiqué said.
This policy of assassination comes along with Bouteflika's policy known as the "extermination and exclusion" policy to FIS as a project, as an organization, and as a leadership. The statement went on to say that "This treacherous act is a continuation of the regime's policy, which led to the assassination of many members of FIS lately. The assassinated leadership rejected the project made by the military generals such as Mohammed Median, Isma'il Elamari, and others who are responsible for the tragedy of Algeria. The objective is to silence anyone who defends FIS or believes in it."
The communiqué concluded that the Algerian catastrophe cannot be resolved without a comprehensive solution "where all Algerian political forces take an active role in formulating the solution. The policy of extermination and exclusion will fail."
In London a statement released by the Algerian Association called on the government to release information related to this criminal act. "This is a crime committed against the Algerian people," the statement said. It also called upon the government to stop the cycles of violence.
The Tunisian En-Nahda (Renaissance) Party, in a statement offering condolences to the people of Algeria signed by Sheikh Rached Gannouchi, expressed its deepest sorrow for the assassination of Sheikh Hachani, describing him as "the most enlightened, knowledgeable, and rational Islamist leader." The statement condemned the "policy of extermination by Algerian security thugs who have deprived the Algerian people of the sense of security and any serious effort to end their sufferings." En-Nahda hoped that Bouteflika would disclose information related to the crime and put an end to the assassination cycles in Algeria.
The Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine also offered its deepest condolences to the Algerian people and the to the family of Sheikh Hachani. The letter condemned "the criminals who deprived Algerians, Arabs, and Muslims from the leadership of Shiekh Hachani."
"A great symbol of struggle has fallen," the statement said.
