The French Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, announced that they would open the archives related to the judicial investigations of the police and gendarmerie in the war in Algeria between 1954 and 1962, 15 years before the specified date.
Bachelot, arguing that the historical facts in question were manipulated, stated that they came to this decision in order to prevent the falsifications and confront the issue.
Asked about the possibility that the decision to open the archives could result in the French army revealing acts of torture in Algeria, the French Minister said it would be in France’s interest to accept this.
President Emmanuel Macron, in a statement he made in March, promised to pave the way for access to secret archives over 50 years old related to the Algerian War of Independence.
On the other hand, the Minister of Culture’s statements were made two days after the official visit of Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Algeria.
Relations between the two countries were strained after Macron claimed that the history of Algeria was not factual and built on hostility to France and described the Ottoman dominance in the country as “colonialism.”
Macron’s statements were met with intense reaction from both the official and civilian wings in Algeria.
