Algeria adopts law criminalising French colonisation

Algeria’s Council of the Nation has adopted a draft law criminalising French colonisation, following earlier approval by the lower house.

The legislation, passed on April 12, declares France’s colonisation of Algeria from 1830 to 1962 a crime. Officials described it as “a step to preserve national memory and honour the sacrifices made during the colonial period," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

The lower house of parliament had unanimously adopted the draft in December 2025, initially calling for an official apology from France and affirming Algeria’s right to reparations.

However, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune later clarified that Algiers seeks recognition of France’s colonial crimes rather than financial compensation. A joint parliamentary committee was subsequently established to reconcile differences between the two chambers and produce a unified text.

The final version removed broad reparations demands and explicit calls for an apology from France, while retaining provisions relating to victims of French nuclear tests in the Sahara.

Tensions between Algiers and Paris have intensified in recent months, driven by disputes over immigration policy, historical grievances, and France’s support for Morocco on the Western Sahara issue. Tebboune has said that direct talks with French President Emmanuel Macron remain the only viable path to resolving bilateral tensions.

In 2021, Macron described France’s colonisation of Algeria as a “crime against humanity,” though he stopped short of issuing a formal state apology.

By Sabina Mammadli