Algerian Upper House Discusses Law Criminalizing French Colonialism in Algeria

The Algerian Council of the Nation (Upper House of Parliament) began, on Monday, discussing the law on the criminalization of French colonialism in Algeria, during an open session chaired by the Council’s Speaker Azouz Nasri.

The law is part of a national path aimed at establishing the historical references of the Algerian State and preserving the collective memory.

This law, which comprises 5 chapters and 27 articles, is based on the principles of international law that affirm the right of peoples to legal redress, historical justice and accountability.

The law also enumerates the crimes of the French colonialism and specifies the responsibility of the French state for its colonial past in Algeria, while establishing mechanisms for demanding recognition and apology, alongside the adoption of penal measures to criminalize colonialism glorification and promotion .