Rabat – Algeria’s parliament on Wednesday unanimously adopted a law that criminalizes French colonial rule between 1830 and 1962 and formally calls on France to issue an official apology.
Algerian lawmakers applauded the vote on the text, which assigns to the French state “legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it produced.”
The law positions itself as a response to what its authors describe as Paris’ persistent refusal to explicitly acknowledge colonial crimes.
In a statement released the same day, France responded to Algeria’s parliament decision, describing the initiative as “manifestly hostile.”
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs argued that such an act runs counter to efforts to resume bilateral dialogue and to pursue a calm, shared approach to historical memory.
While stressing that France does not comment on Algerian domestic politics, the Quai d’Orsay said it regretted the adoption of the law.
France pointed to the work already undertaken by President Emmanuel Macron on colonial memory, notably through a joint commission of French and Algerian historians.
“We continue to work toward resuming a demanding dialogue with Algeria that serves the priority interests of France and the French people, particularly on security and migration,” the ministry added.
The newly adopted legislation spans five chapters and 27 articles. It frames the criminalization of colonization as a means to “protect the national historical narrative” and makes formal apologies from France a prerequisite for any process of “memorial reconciliation” between the two countries.
Article 9 states that Algeria will pursue this recognition and apology “by all judicial and legal means.”
The text also details what it calls crimes committed during the colonial period and presses for the restitution of archives and Algerian property transferred to France.
Proposals to criminalize French colonization have surfaced repeatedly in Algeria since the 1980s, without success until now.
The move comes amid already strained ties between the two countries. Relations have further cooled following France’s full recognition in July 2024 of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
