Algeria’s National People’s Assembly has begun formal debate on a draft bill seeking to classify French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962 as a crime. The bill, introduced during a plenary session, aims to legally recognize the colonial period as one of systematic oppression and dispossession. Speaker Brahim Boughali, who was authorized to present the bill, described it as more than a legal measure—calling it a defining moment in modern Algerian history that reaffirms national memory and moral responsibility toward the country’s martyrs.

Boughali accused France’s colonial administration of pursuing a deliberate project of destruction and occupation, seizing land from Algerians and distributing it to settlers. He argued that the colonial regime sought to erase Algerian identity, culture, and history. The bill is scheduled for a parliamentary vote on Wednesday.

The debate comes amid heightened diplomatic strain between Algeria and France, particularly over France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan in Western Sahara, which has deepened tensions between the two nations.