Maurice Audin
Encyclopedia
Maurice Audin was a French mathematics assistant at the University of Algiers
, a member of the Algerian Communist Party
and an activist in the anticolonialist cause, who was one of the "disappeared" during the Battle of Algiers.
In the centre of Algiers
, beside the university, the intersection of streets bearing the names of several other heroes of the Algerian Revolution is called the Place Maurice-Audin.
and several soldiers of the First Parachute Regiment of the French Army
. He was taken to the Villa Susini in the fashionable neighborhood of El Biar
for interrogation.
A trap was installed in the apartment of the Audin family and Henri Alleg
, the former editor of the Alger républicain
, was arrested there the next day.
Doctor Georges Hadjadj later admitted that, under torture, he had given Audin's name to men working for Paul Aussaresses
, following threats that his wife would be raped.
Audin was last seen alive by Henri Alleg
, one day after his arrest. Alleg had just been arrested, and the paratroopers attempted to intimidate him by showing Audin, who had been tortured and was "agash and confused". Pressed to tell Alleg how torture would feel, he said "it is tough, Henri" (c'est dur, Henri). Alleg described the events in La Question
; he also mentioned later hearing a prisoner dragged away and gun shots, that he assumed were Audin's summary execution..
Audin's wife and their three children never received any further information about him. According to Pierre Vidal-Naquet
, who wrote in May 1958, in the first edition of L'affaire Audin, that escape was impossible, Maurice Audin died under torture on 21 June 1957, at the hands of Lieutenant André Charbonnier (a graduate of Saint-Cyr
who was nicknamed "the doctor" because he liked to use a scalpel on his victims), under the orders of the General Jacques Massu
. According to the French Army, Maurice Audin tried to escape by jumping from a jeep during a transfer. However, in November 1960, Charbonnier told Vidal-Naquet that he had strangled Audin and buried the body in Fort l’Empereur in El Biar.
By July 1957, some newspapers started to discuss "the Audin business" and, on 2 December 1957, the defence in absentia of his doctoral thesis, On linear equations in a vector space, chaired by Laurent Schwartz
, aroused indignation among certain academics against the situation in Algeria.
"Audin committees" were created to publicise the issue and arouse public opinion against the practice of torture in Algeria.
A judicial inquiry was initiated following a complaint from his wife. At the request of the lawyers for Madame Josette Audin, the case was transferred in Rennes
in April 1959; it lasted until April 1962 when it was closed for lack of evidence. Moreover, on 22 March 1962, an amnesty had been decreed for "activities within the framework of the operations for the enforcement of law and order directed against the Algerian insurrection".
When the case was closed, Madame Audin's lawyers appealed to the supreme court of appeal. Their appeal was rejected in 1966. The body of Maurice Audin not having been found, a death certificate was issued by a court in Algiers on 1 June 1963, a judgment which was recognized in France on 27 May 1966.
In 2001, Madame Audin issued a new complaint, calling her husband's death a crime against humanity.
In June 2007, fifty years after her husband's disappearance, Madame Audin wrote to Nicolas Sarkozy
, the newly-elected French president, asking him that the mystery of her husband's disappearance be cleared up and that France assume its responsibility in the affair.
In January 2009, Michèle Audin, the daughter of Maurice Audin, herself a mathematician, publicly declined the French Legion d'Honneur
, which had been awarded for her work. As a motivation for her refusal, she cited the lack of response from the French government to her mother's letter.
University of Algiers
The University of Algiers Benyoucef Benkhedda is a university located in Algiers, Algeria. It was founded in 1909 and is organized into seven faculties.-History:...
, a member of the Algerian Communist Party
Algerian Communist Party
The Algerian Communist Party was a communist party in Algeria. The PCA emerged in 1920 as an extension the French Communist Party and eventually became a separate entity in 1936 ....
and an activist in the anticolonialist cause, who was one of the "disappeared" during the Battle of Algiers.
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, beside the university, the intersection of streets bearing the names of several other heroes of the Algerian Revolution is called the Place Maurice-Audin.
The Audin affair
During the Battle of Algiers, Maurice Audin was arrested at his home on 11 June 1957, by Captain Devis, Lieutenant Philippe ErulinPhilippe Erulin
Philippe Louis Edmé Marie François Erulin was a French Army officer. He gained notoriety in Algeria for taking part in the torture of Henri Alleg, and in Africa for leading the Battle of Kolwezi.- Biography :...
and several soldiers of the First Parachute Regiment of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. He was taken to the Villa Susini in the fashionable neighborhood of El Biar
El Biar
El Biar is a suburb of Algiers, Algeria. It is located in the administrative constituency of Bouzaréah in the Algiers Province. As of the 1998 census, it has a population of 52,582 inhabitants...
for interrogation.
A trap was installed in the apartment of the Audin family and Henri Alleg
Henri Alleg
Henri Alleg , born Henri Salem, is a French-Algerian journalist, director of the "Alger républicain" newspaper, and a member of the French Communist Party...
, the former editor of the Alger républicain
Alger républicain
Alger républicain is an Algerian newspaper founded in 1938, and intermittently published ever since. It is close to the Algerian communist movement, without having been an official party publication. The paper was edited by the French-Algerian communist and anti-colonial activist Henri Alleg from...
, was arrested there the next day.
Doctor Georges Hadjadj later admitted that, under torture, he had given Audin's name to men working for Paul Aussaresses
Paul Aussaresses
Paul Aussaresses is a retired French Army general, who fought during World War II, the First Indochina War and Algerian War...
, following threats that his wife would be raped.
Audin was last seen alive by Henri Alleg
Henri Alleg
Henri Alleg , born Henri Salem, is a French-Algerian journalist, director of the "Alger républicain" newspaper, and a member of the French Communist Party...
, one day after his arrest. Alleg had just been arrested, and the paratroopers attempted to intimidate him by showing Audin, who had been tortured and was "agash and confused". Pressed to tell Alleg how torture would feel, he said "it is tough, Henri" (c'est dur, Henri). Alleg described the events in La Question
La Question
La Question is a book by Henri Alleg, published in 1958. It is notorious for precisely describing the methods of torture used by French paratroopers during the Algerian War from the point of view of a victim...
; he also mentioned later hearing a prisoner dragged away and gun shots, that he assumed were Audin's summary execution..
Audin's wife and their three children never received any further information about him. According to Pierre Vidal-Naquet
Pierre Vidal-Naquet
Pierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in 1969....
, who wrote in May 1958, in the first edition of L'affaire Audin, that escape was impossible, Maurice Audin died under torture on 21 June 1957, at the hands of Lieutenant André Charbonnier (a graduate of Saint-Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
who was nicknamed "the doctor" because he liked to use a scalpel on his victims), under the orders of the General Jacques Massu
Jacques Massu
Jacques Émile Massu was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez crisis.-Early life:Jacques Massu was born in Châlons-sur-Marne to a family of military officers; his father was an artillery officer...
. According to the French Army, Maurice Audin tried to escape by jumping from a jeep during a transfer. However, in November 1960, Charbonnier told Vidal-Naquet that he had strangled Audin and buried the body in Fort l’Empereur in El Biar.
By July 1957, some newspapers started to discuss "the Audin business" and, on 2 December 1957, the defence in absentia of his doctoral thesis, On linear equations in a vector space, chaired by Laurent Schwartz
Laurent Schwartz
Laurent-Moïse Schwartz was a French mathematician. He pioneered the theory of distributions, which gives a well-defined meaning to objects such as the Dirac delta function. He was awarded the Fields medal in 1950 for his work...
, aroused indignation among certain academics against the situation in Algeria.
"Audin committees" were created to publicise the issue and arouse public opinion against the practice of torture in Algeria.
A judicial inquiry was initiated following a complaint from his wife. At the request of the lawyers for Madame Josette Audin, the case was transferred in Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
in April 1959; it lasted until April 1962 when it was closed for lack of evidence. Moreover, on 22 March 1962, an amnesty had been decreed for "activities within the framework of the operations for the enforcement of law and order directed against the Algerian insurrection".
When the case was closed, Madame Audin's lawyers appealed to the supreme court of appeal. Their appeal was rejected in 1966. The body of Maurice Audin not having been found, a death certificate was issued by a court in Algiers on 1 June 1963, a judgment which was recognized in France on 27 May 1966.
In 2001, Madame Audin issued a new complaint, calling her husband's death a crime against humanity.
In June 2007, fifty years after her husband's disappearance, Madame Audin wrote to Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, the newly-elected French president, asking him that the mystery of her husband's disappearance be cleared up and that France assume its responsibility in the affair.
In January 2009, Michèle Audin, the daughter of Maurice Audin, herself a mathematician, publicly declined the French Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, which had been awarded for her work. As a motivation for her refusal, she cited the lack of response from the French government to her mother's letter.