Algeria's landmark law criminalising French colonisation officially entered into force on 22 May 2025 after its publication in the country's Official Gazette, according to local media reports. The legislation designates France's 132-year colonial rule of Algeria — from 1830 to 1962 — and its lingering effects as a 'state crime,' marking one of the most assertive legal moves by Algiers in its long-running dispute with Paris.

What the Law Says

The legislation enumerates 31 'imprescriptible' colonisation crimes, meaning they carry no statute of limitations. These include intentional homicide, deliberately directing military attacks against civilians, and the deployment of unconventional and internationally-prohibited weapons. Officials described the law as 'a step to preserve national memory and honour the sacrifices made during the colonial period,' according to reports.

The law also commits Algeria to pursuing all available legal and judicial avenues to secure France's 'official recognition' of its colonial past. Specific provisions address the legacy of French nuclear tests in the Sahara and demand the restitution of what the legislation calls 'stolen' Treasury assets.

Penalties for Promoting Colonisation

In a significant domestic dimension, the law criminalises the promotion of French colonisation within Algeria. Anyone found to be justifying colonisation or denying its criminal character through any medium faces imprisonment and a fine. This provision extends the law's reach beyond the bilateral diplomatic sphere and into Algerian civil society and media.

How the Law Was Shaped

Algeria's lower house of parliament unanimously adopted an initial draft in December 2024, calling for a formal French apology and affirming Algeria's right to reparations. The upper house passed a version in April 2025. A joint parliamentary committee subsequently reconciled differences between the two chambers, producing a unified final text. Notably, the final version reportedly removed broad reparations clauses and the demand for a formal apology, while retaining provisions specifically related to victims of French nuclear testing in the Sahara.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had earlier clarified that Algeria's primary objective is France's acknowledgement of its crimes rather than financial compensation — a distinction that shaped the law's final contours.

The Wider Algeria–France Rift

The law's enactment deepens an already strained bilateral relationship. The diplomatic rift between Algeria and France has been fuelled by disputes over immigration policy, unresolved historical grievances, and Paris's backing of Morocco on the Western Sahara question. President Tebboune has maintained that direct talks with French President Emmanuel Macron remain the only credible path to resolving these tensions.

In 2021, Macron acknowledged that France's colonisation of Algeria constituted a 'crime against humanity,' but stopped short of issuing a formal state apology — a position that Algiers has consistently found insufficient. The new law effectively raises the stakes, giving Algeria a legislative instrument to pursue recognition through international legal channels. How France responds — and whether Macron moves beyond his 2021 language — will define the next chapter of this fraught relationship.