Algeria Criminalizes French Colonialism: Landmark Law Brands 132 Years of Occupation a ‘State Crime’
Algeria has introduced a groundbreaking legislative bill that formally criminalizes French colonialism, classifying the entire colonial period spanning from June 14, 1830 to July 5, 1962 as a ‘state crime’ — holding France legally responsible for all violations and atrocities committed during that era.
The draft law, dated May 12, 2026, and published in Official Gazette No. 37, aims to prosecute French colonialism and its direct and indirect consequences that persisted even after independence, while mandating the full disclosure of historical records tied to that period.
The legislation designates numerous acts as ‘crimes of colonialism’, including premeditated murder, forced displacement, extrajudicial executions, physical and psychological torture, rape, chemical and nuclear experiments, landmine planting, property confiscation, arbitrary detention, concentration camps, and the exploitation of civilians.
The bill also explicitly rejects any glorification or justification of French colonialism, imposing prison sentences and heavy fines on anyone who celebrates colonial crimes or promotes them through any platform.
