Algeria moves to label French colonisation a ‘state crime’ and seek reparations
Algeria’s parliament has advanced a landmark bill that would formally declare France’s 130 year colonisation of the country a “state crime” and hold it responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between 1830 and 1962. Lawmakers are voting on the legislation amid a wider diplomatic rift with Paris, with supporters calling the move a historic step in the country’s quest for colonial justice. The draft law seeks to criminalise France’s colonial rule, classifying atrocities committed during the occupation as crimes against humanity under international law. It also makes the “glorification” of French colonialism in Algeria an offence, signalling a tougher stance on how the period is remembered and discussed in public life. According to texts seen by local and international media, the bill states that France bears legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and for the […]