French President Emmanuel Macron admitted that a prominent fighter for the independence of Algeria, Ali Boumendjel, was killed in 1957 by French paratroopers. Previously, according to the official version, it was believed that he committed suicide. This is reported by the Russian “Nezavismaya Gazeta”.
The French president met with the four grandchildren of the Algerian hero of the struggle for independence. “Ali Boumendjel did not commit suicide. He was tortured and then killed,” he told them.
Algeria has been seeking this recognition from France for years, the newspaper notes.
Ali Boumendjel, a journalist, political activist and fighter for the independence of Algeria, is considered a national hero in this country. In the winter of 1957, he was arrested by the French military and, after spending two months in prison, died on February 9th.
Until the recognition of Macron, official Paris insisted that Ali Boumengel threw himself out of the window. The position of the state did not change even in 2000, when General Paul Aussaress, who commanded the French paratroopers in Algeria, admitted that his subordinates had killed an Algerian after savage torture. No charges were brought against Aussaress, although he was stripped of the Legion of Honor. Aussaress passed away in 2013.
NG writes that Macron’s act once again demonstrates that the recognition of war crimes has become a trend in Western politics in principle. In November 2020, under pressure from human rights organizations, Australia admitted that its elite commandos had killed Afghans and promised to punish those responsible. The consequences were tragic: in a short time, nine Australian soldiers committed suicide, probably fearing prosecution and shame.