Boughali: “Law Criminalizing Brutal French Colonialism Establishes An International Reference”

The Speaker of the People’s National Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Boughali, affirmed that the text of the law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria establishes an “international reference” in this field, noting that “national memory is closely linked to national sovereignty.”
In an interview with the Belgian channel “ATIPIC” for its program “Le Vrai Dialogue” (The True Dialogue), Mr. Boughali highlighted that this text represents “a complete sovereign act, given that national memory is closely linked to national sovereignty,” adding that it came within the framework of “a firm commitment and a long struggle led by the deputies,” which calls for “pride in the Assembly’s role in protecting national memory.”

Regarding Algerian-French relations, the Speaker of the People’s National Assembly considered that “the diplomatic approach of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was wise, but hidden French forces prevented the progress of the process.”

He stressed in the same context that “Algeria is an independent and sovereign state, and the pressures imposed by others will not prevent it from making its decisions,” explaining that “the goal is to achieve justice and historical truth to establish sound relations and a common future for future generations.”

The process of this proposal – Mr. Boughali added – was characterized by “the formation of a committee comprising all political currents to give it the character of a popular demand and to block the way for those who want to exploit the issue.”

To avert outbidding, the Speaker of the Assembly said that “work was done calmly and away from press statements until the project was completed, whose final version was reviewed with legal experts, and then voted on last December 24.”

As part of Algeria’s commitment to countries that suffered from colonialism, Mr. Boughali explained that the text of the law “will be translated into English, German, and Spanish to serve as a reference for African, Asian, and American countries that suffered from brutal colonialism,” stressing that the law “represents a strong political and moral basis and can be an international reference while respecting international law.”

In the same regard, the Speaker of the National People’s Assembly denounced the attempt by French colonialism to “play on the time factor, believing that the generation of independence will forget the heinous crimes of occupation,” noting that this is “incorrect.”