France admits torture and murder of Algerian freedom fighter in 1950s, but no apology for Algeria for colonial past
Posted on March 4th, 2021
Courtesy RT
(L) Portrait non daté de l’avocat algérien Me Ali Boumendjel alors âgé de 32 ans. © AFP PHOTO / ERIC FEFERBERG; (R) French troops holding back crowds in front of Government House, Algiers, during the Algerian War of Independence. © Stan Meagher / Express / Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron has formally admitted that his country’s forces tortured and murdered” Algerian freedom fighter Ali Boumendjel in 1957 during the nation’s war for independence in a meeting with his grandchildren.
Macron made the confession in the name of France” as he met with Boumendjel’s grandchildren on Tuesday, providing an honest and official explanation for his death over 60 years ago, which, until now, had been classed as a suicide.
A formal statement from France’s Elysee Palace confirmed that Boumendjel was placed incommunicado, tortured and then killed on 23 March 1957, after being detained during the battle of Algiers.
Boumendjel’s family have not issued a statement after Macron’s statement but, last month, his niece Fadela Boumendjel-Chitour decried France’s behavior as a devastating” lie.
Previously, the former head of French intelligence in Algiers, Paul Aussaresses, admitted that he ordered Boumendjel’s murder and the following cover-up. However, the country’s government had refused until now to confirm if that was true.ALSO ON RT.COMMacron rules out official apology for colonial abuses in Algeria despite calling colonization ‘crime against humanity’
The admission of guilt comes after Macron agreed to establish a truth commission” to investigate abuses that occurred in countries that were once controlled by France, including Algeria, in order to end the culture of denial” that has clouded the country’s colonial past.
While he has done more than previous presidents, Macron has caused anger in some communities for refusing to issue an official apology over what took place in Algeria on the orders of French forces and officials, declaring that there will be no repentance nor apologies.”
Macron has, instead, pledged to work to present symbolic acts” that are aimed at promoting reconciliation after the eight-year war between 1954-1962 strained relations between France and Algeria, with each side accused of committing significant atrocities.
March 5th, 2021 at 8:16 am
Most of the colonials did bad and good in the country, much good than bad, the reason many want to settle in thousands in their countries and many wants the colonials to come back because the present rulers are corrupt.
March 5th, 2021 at 5:41 pm
Colonial expansion was brutal execution to extract the maximal for the coloniser and in the process they developed a comprador class who continue to sing the praises of the colonist as the first respondent. Contented happy societies were obliterated as in Wellassa to make way for serve the needs of the Masters. Opium was produced for sale India for sale in China; Tea in Sri Lanka for British market and Petrochemicals in the M-E for developed countries. In the latter stages the commodity they extracted most was the labour force trained and untrained, and we Sri Lankans filled the void for demestic service in In the open economy era. Algerian experience is in filling the industrial workforce you will see in great numbers In France continuing after independence. Sadly we still have even Buddhist monks singing the praises of the pre inpendent days with its largely illiterate populace. Rulers of today are still dancing to the tune of former colonial powers as seen in major agreements to hand over control of ports.