A/HRC/ 8/29 Page 5 15. The practice of religion is regulated by law in order to prevent excesses. This is valid for Islam, the religion of more than 99 per cent of Algerians. The provisions of the law were extended in April 2006 to the practice of other religions. Religious holidays, regardless to which religion they belong to, are observed and celebrated. 16. The Minister informed the Working Group that the Constitution, since 2002, gave Amazigh the status of national language and more than 100,000 pupils have so far learnt Amazigh in State schools. A specific programme of training of teachers has been set up to continue the teaching of Amazigh. 17. Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the existence of numerous daily, weekly and other periodical publications with a circulation of approximately 4.5 million copies. Regarding defamation, the judiciary has dealt with 200 cases in the last six years, and found journalists guilty in 26 cases only. Following the appeal, sentences were transformed into fines or acquittal. The President of the Republic exercised his right to pardon on two occasions. Freedom of association is guaranteed through the registration of a simple declaration. Registration can be refused only in the event that one of the founding members of an organization has been criminally convicted, or on the ground of incompatibility with the institutional system and human rights. 18. The damage caused by terrorism over a period of nearly 10 years is incalculable. The loss of human life, destruction of schools, factories, health-care centres, infrastructure, and job losses are all violations of human rights. The turning point of the struggle against terrorism was marked by the adoption of the “Civil Concord” initiative in 1999, adopted by referendum. In 2006, the massive popular support for the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation (Order No. 06-01 of 28 February 2006) has led to the promulgation of presidential decrees dealing with specific situations, including compensation for the victims of the national tragedy; State assistance for families left destitute because a family member was implicated in terrorism; reintegration or compensation procedures for individuals dismissed on administrative grounds having to do with the national tragedy. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 19. During the ensuing interactive dialogue, statements were made by 46 delegations which all expressed appreciation for the quality of the national report. Many delegations also expressed their appreciation for the role played by Algeria in the Human Rights Council, especially in the building of the Universal Periodic Review. 20. Djibouti expressed its solidarity in regard to resolving the serious threats of terrorism. It welcomed the process of legislative reforms started in 1999 and noted that members of civil society would regularly be consulted in the development of this process. In this connection, Djibouti asked whether a timeline had been set for the implementation of the reforms. With regard to mediation between the citizen and State institutions, Djibouti enquired about the existence of structures that could help the citizen make his/her own rights respected. 21. Palestine noted that Algeria had financially contributed to the activities of OHCHR and other funds, and has ratified most international instruments, as well as regional and Arab instruments concerning human rights. Since the independence, the Government has based its actions on social equality, the participation of citizens and respect for human rights. Palestine wanted to know how the Government deals with the migration phenomenon at the regional and international level. 22. Kuwait noted that Algeria suffers from terrorism and noted that particularly North Africa has been confronted with terrorist action and that regional and international cooperation is needed to