French Torture In Prisons And Detention Centers During The Liberation Revolution: The Qasr Al-tair Prison As A Model

Abstract

Abstract Since the French colonization of Algeria in 1830, various methods of coercion, persecution, repression, intimidation, assassination, and torture have been used against the Algerian people. These methods evolved in terms of both quality and scale, with executioners becoming more skilled in their use, especially during the liberation revolution (1954-1962). In response to the growing revolutionary activity and military operations in Algeria, the colonial administration took steps to secure material, human, and military resources, establishing an exceptional legal system to confront the National Liberation Front (FLN) and its army. This research paper will focus on torture during the liberation revolution, where the French army and the occupying authorities began arresting anyone suspected of being involved, sending hundreds of Algerians and prisoners from the National Liberation Army to prisons and detention centers after subjecting them to abuse and torture in the interrogation centers set up throughout the country. Our discussion will focus on the torture in the "Kasr El-Tayr" detention center as a model of the camps where various forms of torture, coercion, inducement, intimidation, and brainwashing were practiced, similar to other colonial detention centers at the national level.