Switzerland indicts Algerian ex-minister for alleged crimes against humanity during 1990s insurgency

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss federal prosecutors say they’ve indicted a former Algerian defense minister for his alleged role in crimes against humanity during the insurrection in the North African country some three decades ago. Former Gen. Khaled Nezzar is now aged 85 and reportedly “on his deathbed.” The Swiss attorney general’s office accuses him of violating the laws of armed conflict under the Geneva Conventions, alleging that he knew of or was complicit in activities such as torture, extra-judicial executions, arbitrary detention and physical assault between 1992 and 1994. An estimated 200,000 people were killed when Algeria’s military-backed government waged war with Islamist extremists seeking power during the 1990s.