The Legal System of Algeria

The Algerian legal system is based on French and Islamic law (shari’a). Algeria remained under French rule for 132 years, which constituted the longest direct European colonisation of any region in North Africa. After a brutal eight-year struggle for independence, Algeria became a sovereign state in July 1962. A civil concord in 1999 appears to have largely restored peace in Algeria following a troubled decade of struggle between the military and Islamic militants. The Berber community in Algeria won official recognition of the Berber language and other cultural demands in 2001.