Algeria’s National People’s Assembly (parliament) has unanimously approved a bill classifying more than a century of French colonization of Algerian territory as a state crime, the newspaper Ennahar reported.
The legislation holds France legally accountable for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies inflicted on the Algerian people. It explicitly labels French colonization a “state crime” and demands official apologies from Paris. Among the crimes cited are extrajudicial executions, torture, rape, nuclear testing on Algerian soil, and the plundering of the country’s natural resources.
The vote enjoyed unanimous support across all political blocs, who view the bill as a “unifying national demand transcending party divisions,” according to Ennahar. The measure was passed on the basis of a broad “national consensus” uniting all Algerians.
Relations between France and Algeria have been extremely tense in recent years. In late July 2024, Algeria abruptly recalled its ambassador from Paris. Algeria was a French colony from 1830 to 1962, gaining independence after a brutal war of national liberation (1954–1962).
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Based on materials from TASS