Algerian Senate Calls for Amendments to Law Addressing Colonial French Rule

On Thursday, the Senate of Algeria urged alterations to legislation that criminalizes French colonial dominance. This call comes amidst discussions of reparations, shortly after the parliament endorsed this law.

On December 24, the lower house of parliament ratified the law unanimously. This legislation declares the French occupation of Algeria from 1830 to 1962 as a criminal act, alongside demands for an apology and reparations.

However, on Thursday, the Senate highlighted that certain sections of the legislative text do not entirely align with the official stance presented by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The president previously articulated that Algeria does not seek financial reparations from France.

Consequently, a joint committee comprising members from both parliamentary chambers will be tasked with reviewing the contentious provisions before finalizing the law, as the Senate lacks authority to amend legislation passed by the lower house.

The French government has criticized the bill as being “clearly hostile,” at a time when diplomatic relations with Algeria are already strained.

Tensions escalated in late 2024 when France publicly expressed support for Morocco's claim to the disputed Western Sahara territory, a situation that Algeria opposes in favor of the pro-independence Polisario Front.

According to the bill, France is deemed to bear “legal accountability for its colonial legacy in Algeria and the associated tragedies.” It enumerates the “atrocities of French colonization,” such as nuclear tests, extrajudicial executions, “physical and psychological torture,” in addition to “systematic resource exploitation.”

The legislation asserts that “complete and just compensation for all material and moral injuries inflicted by French colonization is an inherent right of the Algerian state and its people.”

Nevertheless, President Tebboune has previously stated in a December 2024 speech that Algeria is “not lured by monetary compensation, whether in euros or dollars.”

“We seek acknowledgment of the atrocities carried out in our nation” by France, he emphasized. “Financial restitution is not what we are pursuing.”

Before assuming office, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the colonization of Algeria constituted a “crime against humanity,” yet Paris has yet to extend an official apology to Algiers.

Algeria contends that the conflict with colonial France resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million individuals, whereas French historians estimate the death toll to be around 500,000, with 400,000 of those being Algerian.