Africa-Press. The Algerian Parliament has passed a law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria, with reservations on 13 articles, particularly those related to compensation and apology issues.
This took place during a plenary session dedicated to voting on certain laws, including this text, which had already been approved by the National People’s Assembly – the lower house of Parliament – on December 24 last year.
Members of Parliament voted unanimously in favor of the law, while reserving 13 of its 27 articles.
In its report preceding the presentation of the text for approval, the National Defense Committee called for not voting on the articles that provide for demanding compensation and apologies from France for colonial crimes committed against the Algerian people between June 14, 1830, and July 5, 1962.
Sacrifices that Cannot Be Compensated
The committee stated in its report that the call not to approve these articles aims to review them and revise their provisions, particularly those concerning apologies and compensation, as they do not align with the direction set by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
It clarified that this approach focuses exclusively on demanding official recognition of colonial crimes, thereby contributing to the alignment between political stance and legislative framework.
In a speech before the two chambers of Parliament on December 30, 2024, Tebboune affirmed that Algeria demands official recognition of colonial crimes. Regarding compensation, the sacrifices of the martyrs cannot be offset by billions of dollars.
From Tebboune’s statements, it is understood that Algeria does not wish to assign a material value to the martyrs of massacres committed by French colonialism.
Meanwhile, the National Defense Committee in Parliament noted that some articles of the law require revision and reorganization in terms of both wording and content, necessitating certain improvements to ensure legislative quality, textual coherence, and legal and institutional effectiveness.
The Minister of Mujahideen and Rights Holders affirmed that this law “expresses the popular will and enshrines the deep conviction of the Algerian people that the national memory accepts neither compromise nor fragmentation,” in line with the higher directives continually emphasized by the President in the context of protecting and preserving national memory.
For his part, Parliament President Azzouz Nasri praised – in a speech after the vote – the outstanding initiative expressed by the deputies, consisting of proposing a law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria, which will serve as an eternal testimony to the actions of French settler colonialism in Algeria.
The approval of this law by the Algerian Parliament comes at a time when Algerian-French relations are experiencing one of the worst crises in the history of the two countries.
Relations between the two countries have fallen into a dark impasse for months, following Paris’ recognition of the autonomy proposal presented by Morocco several years ago as a solution to the Sahara conflict.
In contrast, Algeria supports the Polisario Front, which rejects autonomy and calls for granting the Sahara population the right to self-determination.
