Key Facts

• Algeria's parliament unanimously approved a law calling France's colonial rule a crime.
• The new law demands an apology and reparations from France.
• The law holds France legally responsible for the events during its colonial past in Algeria.
• It catalogs crimes such as nuclear tests, torture, and resource exploitation.
• Analysts note the law's significant political impact but mention it has no enforceable power internationally.
• France ruled Algeria from 1830 to 1962, with a war of independence causing approximately 1.5 million deaths.
• French President Emmanuel Macron has called the colonization a "crime against humanity" but has not formally apologized.
• The vote adds to existing diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France, especially concerning the Western Sahara conflict.