Algeria's Bouteflika pardons 4,000 prisoners

ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) -- Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has pardoned some 4,000 prisoners on the eve of Revolution Day, the official APS news agency reported on Tuesday.

Revolution Day marks the anniversary of the start of armed struggle against French colonialism in 1954.

Quoting a presidency statement, APS said: "The pardon includes a total remission for prisoners who have six months or less to serve in jail but does not apply to those sentenced for acts of subversion, terrorism, massacres, rape, aggravated theft, embezzlement of public money, corruption and other crimes such as drug trafficking."

The Algerian official media usually uses the phrase "subversion and terrorism" to refer to dissident Muslim fundamentalists, including the ruthless Armed Islamic Group (GIA).

More than 100,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in strife which erupted after a general election was cancelled in 1992. The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) had taken a commanding lead in the ballot.

The army-backed government later banned the FIS and jailed its leaders.

APS did not say whether the pardoned prisoners included political activists.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

See related sites about Africa

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.