Algerian senate urges review of law declaring French colonisation a crime

By Dominic Wabwireh with other sources

Algeria’s Senate has demanded revisions to a historic law declaring France’s 1830-1962 colonization a crime, creating legislative discord just weeks after the lower house unanimously passed the bill demanding an apology and reparations from Paris.

While the lower house’s December 24 vote classified colonization as a crime with “legal responsibility,” the Senate objected to specific articles, particularly around financial compensation.

A joint committee must now reconcile the text, as the Senate cannot directly amend the legislation.

The disagreement centers on President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s stated position that Algeria is “not tempted by money” but seeks formal recognition of crimes instead of financial restitution.

France condemns “clearly hostile” legislation

The bill has escalated diplomatic tensions already strained by France’s endorsement of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Paris condemned the legislation as “clearly hostile,” while the Algerian text enumerates colonial crimes including nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, torture, and systematic resource plundering, asserting that “full and fair compensation” remains an “inalienable right.”

Disputed history and unresolved accountability

The law invokes deeply disputed historical tolls, stating the war killed 1.5 million Algerians—a figure contested by French historians who estimate 500,000 total deaths, including 400,000 Algerians.

Although French President Emmanuel Macron previously acknowledged colonization as a “crime against humanity,” France has not issued a formal apology, leaving a century of trauma unresolved as Algeria’s legislative process continues.