Algerian visit by Francois Hollande prompts re-investigation of Monks killings

Justice, Monde

Tibhirine : l’avocat des parties civiles en appelle à Hollande

L’avocat des parties civiles dans l’affaire des moines de Tibhirine interpelle vendredi François Hollande. Le président français entame une visite d’Etat de deux jours en Algérie les 19 et 20 décembre. L’avocat souhaite qu’il en profite pour aborder l’affaire “pour que puisse progresser la légitime recherche de la vérité”. Le dossier d’instruction, mené par le juge Marc Trévidic reste suspendu à la coopération des autorités algériennes.

Translation/Traduction by/par Bill Nelson

President Francois Hollande’s official visit to Algeria has re-activated calls for an investgation into the kidnap and deaths of seven monks.

On the night of 26–27 March 1996, seven monks from the monastery Notre-Dame de l’Atlas of Tibhirine in Algeria, belonging to the Roman Catholic Trappist Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), were kidnapped during the Algerian Civil War. They were held for two months, and were found dead on 21 May 1996.

The circumstances of their kidnapping and death remain controversial; the Armed Islamic Group (Groupe Islamique Armé, GIA) claimed responsibility for both.

A French film, its original French language title is Des hommes et des dieux, ( “Of Men and of Gods”) came out in 2010. It centers on the monastery of Tibhirine, where nine Trappist monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War. Two lived to tell the tale and a civil case in France is on-going. A French judge did an investigation and published a report which remains suppressed in Algeria. The monks were beheaded. The investigation is trying to determise if the monks were beheaded pre or post mortem. Exhumation will be necessary and it will be interesting to see if Hollande’s visitmakes any progress.

About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
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