Abdelkader Guerroudj (26 July 1928 – 7 November 2020), an Algerian, and his French wife, Jacqueline Guerroudj, were condemned to death in December 1957 as accomplices of

Fernand Iveton Fernand Iveton (his surname is sometimes erroneously rendered as "Yveton"; 12 January 1926, Algiers – 11 February 1957) was the only pied noir among the 198 supporters of the FLN who were executed (as opposed to being killed in battle) during t ...

, the only European who was guillotined for his part in the Algerian revolt. As a result of a high-profile campaign in France, where the issue was called ''L'Affaire Guerroudj'', neither was executed.

Biography

Guerroudj was born on 26 July 1928 in

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...

. He was a political officer of the

Algerian Communist Party The Algerian Communist Party (french: Parti Communiste Algérien; ar, الحزب الشيوعي الجزائري) was a communist party in Algeria. The PCA emerged in 1920 as an extension of the French Communist Party (PCF) and eventually beca ...

who liaised between the Communist

Combattants de la Libération Les Combattants de la Libération (CDL), also known as ''Le Maquis Rouge'', were a guerrilla group established by the Algerian Communist Party (PCA) after the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence. The FLN did not welcome a rival on the s ...

and the FLN. His stepdaughter, Danièle Minne, was sentenced, on 4 December 1957, to 7 years in prison for her part in the revolt. A declaration made by Guerroudj to the court is sometimes cited as showing that some pro-independence Algerian activists nevertheless hoped for close relations with France after independence: "I am sure that we will need material, technicians, doctors and professors to construct our country; it is to France which we address ourselves first. I believe that would be in the true interest of both of our countries. It is not in the interest of France to have valets ready at every moment here to run to the call of the most powerful master, but friends who have freely consented to this friendship." Guerroudj died on 7 November 2020, at the age of 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerroudj, Abdelkader 1928 births 2020 deaths Algerian communists People from Tlemcen Province