R Fathi, Laila (2018) Forgetting the unforgivable: amnesties following the Algerian war of independence (1962‐ 2012). PhD thesis. SOAS University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/26174 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Forgetting the unforgivable: Amnesties following the Algerian war of independence (1962-2012) LAILA FATHI Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2016 School of Law SOAS, University of London Declaration for SOAS PhD thesis I have read and understood Regulation 21 of the General and Admissions Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been dul cknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: -----::���_ _::.::_ __ _ Date: 5 / I <> /I � 1 Acknowledgements The writing of this thesis has been a fascinating journey that was only possible with support, patience and guidance. It is I believe, pressing to explore unheard narrative and continually challenge dominant discourses. My deepest therefore thanks go to every single person who graciously shared parts of their story with me. I am eternally grateful to each person that have made this research. Thank you. I have been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people so generous and kind that supported me along this process. I am greatly indebted to the wonderful people who made the doctoral journey possible. First and foremost, I sincerely thank my parents Saadia Fathi and Mustapha Fathi, my brothers Fahd and Karim, whose unconditional love and support has enabled me to embark upon this insightful path. My PhD supervisors, Professor Chandra Sriram and Matthew Craven, who have been extremely generous with their time, advices and support. They have not only been great mentors, they were also very understanding and supportive. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Sylvie Thenault and Raphaelle Branche for their invaluable insights and kindness and belief in my project enabled much of this reflection. Field research for this project was possible because of the generosity of remarkable individuals whose accounts was the most inspiring. Their guidance during fieldwork has immensely facilitated the research journey and enabled me to overcome numerous obstacles. Finally, I would like to thank all my ‘London family’: Nizam Uddin, Sanaa Alimia, Shazia Ahmed and Virginie Rouas who have believed in my project and encouraged me during the difficulties of the PhD journey; I direct this work to my great grandmother whose passing will always leave a gap in my life and in my heart; I hope that the quality and impact of my work can reflect the amount of support that I have received in the last four year. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 8 I. Why the Amnesty Laws? ..........................................................................................................................................10 II. Amnesty and the Discourses of transitional justice ...................................................................................11 A. Re-conceptualizing the Paradigm of Transitional justice ............................................... 13 B. Amnesty and Collective Memory of Past Events ..................................................................... 16 C. Domestic Approach Towards Amnesty ...................................................................................... 18 III. Transitional Justice and the Decolonization of Algeria ...........................................................................19 IV. Objectives of Research ...........................................................................................................................................20 V. Research Questions and Summary of the Argument .................................................................................24 VI. Preliminary Considerations ................................................................................................................................25 VII. Structure of the Thesis .........................................................................................................................................27 VIII. Note on Methodology ............................................................................................................................................30 IX. Ethical review: Doing Research on a Sensitive Issue ...............................................................................32 Chapter 2 Amnesty Legislations ............................................................................................. 35 I. The Promises of Amnesty ........................................................................................................................................36 A. The Meaning of Amnesty .................................................................................................................. 36 B. The Amnesty Debate in Transitional Justice Scholarship .................................................. 40 C. Amnesty and the Politics of Memory ........................................................................................... 51 II. Analytical Framework ............................................................................................................................................54 III. Judicial Capacity of Domestic Legal Proceedings to Produce a Narrative ......................................55 A. Law as a Narrative ............................................................................................................................... 56 B. Rules of Proceeding on the Admission of Evidence .......................................................... 58 IV. Amnesty and the Contentious Politics Model ..............................................................................................60 A. Social Movements of Change ...................................................................................................... 60 B. Political Participation of Individual in the Reconciliation Process ............................. 61 C. Memory as a Strategy for Contentious Politics .................................................................... 62 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................................................66 Chapter 3: “La Sale Guerre” France and the Independence of Algeria (1954- 1962) ................................................................................................................................................. 68 I. The end of French colonial rule (1945-1954) ................................................................................................69 A. The Colonial Administration of Algeria ...................................................................................... 69 B. The Outbreak of the War .................................................................................................................. 73 C. French Counterinsurgency Warfare: La Guerre Révolutionnaire ..................................... 76 3 II. The Thorny Issue of Torture ................................................................................................................................79 A. An Organized Practice........................................................................................................................ 79 B. The Status of the Conflict .................................................................................................................. 82 C. The controversy Over the Use of Torture .................................................................................. 87 III. Polarisation of the French people.....................................................................................................................91 A. Crisis of May 1958 ............................................................................................................................... 92 B. The OAS .................................................................................................................................................... 95 Conclusion