Djamila Boupacha

Djamila Boupacha (born 9 February 1938 in Bologhine, a suburb of Algiers) is a former militant from the Algerian National Liberation Front. She was arrested in 1960 for attempting to bomb a cafe in Algiers. Her confession, which was obtained by means of torture and rape, and her consequent trial affected French public opinion about the methods used by the French army in Algeria, after publicity by Simone de Beauvoir and Gisèle Halimi. Boupacha was sentenced to death on June 29 1961, but was given amnesty under the Evian accords and later freed on 21 April 1962.

Early in the Algerian War, Boupacha worked as a trainee at Béni Messous Hospital but was prevented from taking a certificate in training because of her race and religion. This setback played a role in Boupacha's initial rejection of the French colonial system in Algeria.

On 10 February 1960, French troops raided Boupacha's household and arrested her and her family. They were taken to a military barracks at El Biar where they were beaten and interrogated. Boupacha was later transferred and tortured at the prison of Hussein Dey. The torture included brutal sexual violence. Under torture, Boupacha confessed to planting a bomb at a University restaurant on 27 September 1959.

Torture was a common experience for women who were arrested in this conflict, and rape was systematically used to terrorize and shame the Algerian community. The importance of Boupacha's case lies in her decision to bring a suit against her torturers. Though she did not deny her affiliation with the FLN and her commitment to Algerian independence, she did argue that a confession achieved under torture should not be admissible before the military tribunal that was to try her.

Working with French Tunisian lawyer Gisèle Halimi, Boupacha brought her torture case to trial, causing a scandal in France and Algeria and gaining wide public attention after Simone de Beauvoir published an article in Le Monde, a French newspaper, that outlined the case. Throughout the trial, Boupacha also gained the support of prominent artists and intellectuals such as Henri Alleg, André Philip, and Pablo Picasso.

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