In a historic and unanimous vote, Algeria's parliament has passed a new law that formally declares France's colonisation of the country a 'crime against humanity' and a 'state crime'. The legislation demands an official apology and reparations from Paris for the damages inflicted during over a century of colonial rule.
A Symbolic Vote with Political Weight
During the session on Wednesday, lawmakers stood in the National Assembly chamber in Algiers, many wearing scarves in the green, white, and red of the Algerian flag. They chanted "long live Algeria" as they applauded the passage of the bill, which asserts France's 'legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused'.
The parliament speaker, Ibrahim Boughali, told the state news agency APS that the vote sends 'a clear message, both internally and externally, that Algeria's national memory is neither erasable nor negotiable'. While analysts note the law is largely symbolic and lacks international legal force, its political significance is substantial, coming amid a major diplomatic rift between the two nations.
Cataloguing Colonial Crimes and Demanding Compensation
The legislation provides a detailed list of the atrocities committed under French rule from 1830 until independence in 1962. These officially cited crimes include:
- Mass killings and large-scale deportations.
- Extrajudicial killings and systematic torture, both physical and psychological.
- The conduct of nuclear tests on Algerian soil.
- The 'systematic plundering' of the nation's resources.
The law explicitly states that 'full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages' is an inalienable right for the Algerian state and its people. The period of colonisation culminated in a bloody war of independence fought between 1954 and 1962. Algerian authorities state the conflict claimed 1.5 million lives, whereas French historians estimate a total death toll of around 500,000, with 400,000 being Algerian.
France's Response and the Path Ahead
This move places further strain on already tense Franco-Algerian relations. While French President Emmanuel Macron has previously acknowledged the colonisation of Algeria as a 'crime against humanity', his government has stopped short of offering a formal apology. When questioned about the Algerian parliamentary vote last week, French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux declined to comment on 'political debates taking place in foreign countries'.
Hosni Kitouni, a colonial history researcher at the University of Exeter, clarified the law's scope: 'Legally, this law has no international scope and therefore is not binding for France. However, its political and symbolic significance is important: it marks a rupture in the relationship with France in terms of memory.' The act is seen as a powerful assertion of Algeria's historical narrative and a step in a broader African push for recognition of colonial-era crimes and reparations.
