The National People’s Assembly, the lower house of the Algerian parliament, unanimously adopted on Monday the revised version of the draft law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria (1830–1962).
The text, initially reviewed and passed at the end of December, had been rejected by the Senate, which struck down 13 of the 26 articles included in the bill. The dispute was then referred to a joint committee composed of 10 deputies and 10 senators, accompanied by four alternates for each chamber.
In its report, the committee detailed the amendments made to the contested articles. The first two articles were merged in order to better define the overall objective of the text. Article 5, which lists colonial crimes, was slightly amended: the conjunction “and” was added, changing the wording from “rape or sexual slavery” to “rape and/or sexual slavery.”
Article 7, concerning the collaboration of the Harkis with the French army, now describes this action as “treason” rather than “high treason.” Article 9, which referred to France’s “apologies,” was reformulated: “The Algerian state works by all means and legal and judicial tools within a framework that guarantees the official recognition by the French state of its colonial past.”
The committee also removed Article 10, which had provided for full and fair compensation for the material and moral damages caused by colonialism, as well as Article 25 concerning nationalized assets transferred to the Algerian state.
Article 15, relating to the recognition of the efforts of those who fought against colonialism, was clarified: “The State guarantees the dignity of all Algerians who contributed directly or indirectly to the struggle against French colonialism during the popular resistance, the national movement and the liberation revolution, in recognition of the sacrifices made to restore national sovereignty.”
The content of Article 16, concerning criminal penalties for the glorification of colonialism, was incorporated into Article 21. Anyone “glorifying colonialism through words, actions, gestures, writings, drawings or multimedia publications” faces 3 to 5 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 dinars, doubled in the event of a repeat offense.
Similarly, Article 17 was incorporated into Article 18, which punishes with 5 to 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 to 1,000,000 dinars anyone who “promotes colonialism through media, academic, cultural or political activities aimed at reviving or spreading colonial ideas and denying their historical significance”.
This adoption comes at a time when Algerian–French relations remain strained by historical disputes. Algeria continues to demand that France officially recognize the colonial crimes committed on its territory.