France will further ease access to its archives on the Algerian war, by authorizing the consultation of files involving minors, indicates a decree published on Sunday in the French “Official Journal”.
In December 2021, after announcements by Emmanuel Macron in March 2021, France had opened, fifteen years ahead of the legal deadline, its judicial archives related to the war for the period between November 1, 1954 and December 31. 1966.
“Sufficiently major at the time to have his head cut off, he is now sufficiently minor to see his file subtracted from the general exemption”, was indignant the historian Marc André.
One of the main obstacles was the exclusion of cases involving minors – those under 21, due to the legislation at the time – still subject to the 100-year classification period. Because of this limitation, coupled with several others, “the majority of files are closed”, noted the historian.
This new relaxation is part of the policy of appeasement decided by Emmanuel Macron during his first five-year term, after the recommendations of the report by Benjamin Stora on the memorial conflict between Algeria and France over the colonial past.
