The President of the Republic: Algeria is ready to provide documents and evidence documenting colonial violations to African legal bodies – Algerian Al-Hiwar newspaper

The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, confirmed Algeria’s readiness to place the documents, material evidence and reliable historical testimonies in its possession at the disposal of the competent African legal bodies, with the aim of highlighting the extent of the violations committed during the colonial era.

This came in a speech delivered by Prime Minister Sefi Gharib, on behalf of the President of the Republic, during a meeting held on the sidelines of the thirty-ninth regular session of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

At the beginning of his speech, President Tebboune congratulated the African Union Commission on International Law for the in-depth study it had completed, considering it a qualitative addition to the path of collective African legal thinking, especially as it implements Resolution No. 934 issued by the Summit, which highlights the legal implications resulting from characterizing colonialism as a crime against humanity, and adapting some of its practices as crimes of genocide against African peoples.

The President of the Republic indicated that Algeria appreciates this legal effort and supports all initiatives aimed at establishing a clear legal approach that includes colonialism among the most serious international crimes, in a way that strengthens the principles of accountability and non-impunity, and contributes to achieving fair historical justice.

He also called for explicit international recognition by international organizations and colonial powers of the criminal nature of the practices of slavery, forced deportation, ethnic cleansing, torture and systematic persecution, stressing that these violations were distinguished by their wide scope and brutality in modern history.

Based on the national experience of Algeria, which suffered more than 132 years of harsh settler colonialism, President Tebboune stressed his country’s readiness to share documents and evidence documenting the atrocities committed against the Algerian people, including widespread repression and the use of internationally banned methods to suppress resistance.

In the framework of following up on the implementation of Resolution 934, the President explained that Algeria, in cooperation with the African Union Commission, organized a high-level international conference on November 30 and December 1, 2025 under the slogan: “Colonial Crimes in Africa: Towards Consolidating Historical Truth and Criminalizing Colonialism”With the broad participation of experts and officials from several continents.

The conference’s work resulted in the adoption of the “Algeria Call,” which included recommendations, most notably the official recognition of colonial crimes, working to include the criminalization of colonialism within the rules of international law, promoting the documentation of crimes and preserving African memory, in addition to recovering looted cultural property, national archives, and human remains, and assuming international responsibility towards the environmental and economic effects of colonialism.

The President of the Republic also expressed his satisfaction with the adoption of Algeria’s proposal to designate an official African day to commemorate the martyrs of Africa, which falls on November 30 of each year, with the aim of consolidating historical awareness among rising generations.

At the national level, President Tebboune indicated that the Algerian Parliament voted unanimously, on December 24, 2025, on a law criminalizing colonialism, which aims to establish legal responsibilities and preserve national memory, while classifying practices such as extrajudicial executions, torture, nuclear tests, and the plundering of wealth among crimes that do not have a statute of limitations.

At the conclusion of his speech, the President of the Republic stressed that the sacrifices made by the African peoples for the sake of freedom and dignity cannot be forgotten or reduced, stressing that recognizing the historical truth represents a moral and legal duty and a basis for building balanced international relations based on mutual respect and fairness.

He added that Algeria believes that consolidating historical truth and justice constitutes a solid foundation for more balanced international partnerships, and for a world governed by the rules of law rather than the logic of force.