Algeria has not experienced such a degree of economic and political deterioration since independence in 1962. The military regime has continued, since its coup d'etat in 1992, to use terror and force as a means of countering the political ideas and beliefs of the people. The junta is supported in Algeria by a marginal minority who are “democrats” on the surface and for show; outside Algeria, it is backed by France. In order to survive and gain time, the Algerian government, in the absence of legitimacy, has been trying to improve its political image by returning to a simulacrum of democracy. The lack of freedom of speech and the manipulation of information contributed to the confusion that has made the Algerian crisis appear opaque. Actually, insecurity became a deliberate policy for the regime; the insecurity has been promoted by the regime to justify its own existence. The only way to discover the truth is to set up an international enquiry commission to investigate the massacres which have been taking place for almost seven years. Only the path of real dialogue and national reconciliation without exclusions of any kind can make it possible for peace, democracy and respect for individual and collective freedoms to return. Only a return to the sovereignty of the people will endow Algeria with legitimate power and honest and able leaders, freely elected by the people.
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