In the spring of 1955, the French authorities declared a state of emergency and deported FLN sympathizers to internment camps (“centres d’hébergement” or accommodation centers) (Király, 2023). Especially during the early stages of the conflict, Algerian detainees were not recognized as “prisoners of war.” Through the ambiguity, French prison officials were able to use “arbitrary detentions and gross violations of international humanitarian law [especially torture]” (Király, 2023). To correct this policy, ICRC delegates sought to “get the French guarantee that FLN fighters captured while bearing arms openly would be granted the same protection as prisoners of war in international armed conflict” (Peret and Bugnion, 2011). While the French authorities granted permission to ICRC delegates, they were specifically authorized to only investigate “the conditions of detention within the camps, not the reasons for imprisonment; [exchange] correspondence between prisoners and their families, and [...] [distribute] aid to detainees and their families” (Peret and Bugnion, 2011) Most concerningly, the ICRC had to ensure that their findings and recommendations must be held confidentially between French government officials.
