Algeria enacts law criminalizing French colonization as state crime
Algeria published a law in its official gazette on May 21, 2026, criminalizing French colonization as a state crime. The legislation, adopted by parliament in early March, lists 31 imprescriptible crimes committed from 1830 to 1962. It abandons the idea of generalized apologies or reparations.
Algeria published a law in its Official Journal on Thursday, May 21, 2026, criminalizing French colonization as a state crime, formalizing a list of 31 imprescriptible offenses committed during the 132-year colonial period.
The legislation, adopted by the Algerian parliament in early March 2026, entered into force upon its publication in the official gazette. Article 2 of the text qualifies French colonization as a "crime d'État portant atteinte aux principes et aux valeurs humaines, politiques, économiques et culturelles" — a state crime harming human, political, economic and cultural principles and values enshrined in national and international laws, charters and customs.
The law enumerates 31 "crimes imprescriptibles" covering the period from 1830 to 1962. Among the listed offenses are "meurtre avec préméditation" (premeditated murder), "torture généralisée et brutale" (widespread and brutal torture), and "viol" (rape). The list also includes "privation délibérée de droits fondamentaux tels que l'éducation et l'accès à des fonctions publiques" (deliberate deprivation of fundamental rights such as education and access to public office), "déportation illégale de la population civile vers des régions arides" (illegal deportation of the civilian population to arid regions), and "crimes de conversion forcée et tentatives d'effacement de l'identité nationale" (crimes of forced conversion and attempts to erase national identity).
The law abandons the idea of generalized apologies and reparations, according to the text published in the Official Journal.