Letter to French President Jacques Chirac Calling for War Crimes Investigation

Dear President Chirac,
Human Rights Watch respectfully calls on you to initiate an urgent, thorough and independent inquiry into
allegations by retired General Paul Aussaresses that the French government ordered or tolerated the use of
torture and summary executions against supporters of Algerian independence supporters in Algeria in the
mid-1950s. Given statements of his own direct involvement, we also call on you to initiate criminal proceedings
against Gen. Aussaresses.