Zohra Drif
Encyclopedia
Zohra Drif Bitat is a retired lawyer and the vice-president of the of the Council of the Nation
, the upper house of the Algerian Parliament. She is best known for her activities on behalf of the National Liberation Front
during the Algerian War of Independence
.
when, on 30 September 1956, she set a bomb in the Milk Bar cafe, which killed three French
youths and injured dozens. She was captured in early October 1957 along with Saadi Yacef, reportedly her boyfriend at the time, at No. 3 Rue Caton in the Casbah
of Algiers by Lt. Colonel Jeanpierre
and his 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
. In August 1958, she was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour by the military tribunal of Algiers for terrorism, and was locked up in the women's section of the Barbarossa prison. She published a 20-page treatise, entitled The death of my brothers , in 1960, while still in prison. She was pardoned by Charles de Gaulle
on the occasion of Algerian independence in 1962.
Rabah Bitat
. She is reported to be a close friend of current president Abdelaziz Bouteflika
.
Council of the Nation
The Council of the Nation is the upper house of the Algerian Parliament. It is composed of 144 members, 2/3 of which are elected indirectly and 1/3 of which are appointed by the president ....
, the upper house of the Algerian Parliament. She is best known for her activities on behalf of the National Liberation Front
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
during the Algerian War of Independence
Algerian War of Independence
The Algerian War was a conflict between France and Algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria's gaining its independence from France...
.
Milk Bar Café bombing
Drif was twenty years old and a student in the Faculty of Law at the University of AlgiersUniversity 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:...
when, on 30 September 1956, she set a bomb in the Milk Bar cafe, which killed three French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
youths and injured dozens. She was captured in early October 1957 along with Saadi Yacef, reportedly her boyfriend at the time, at No. 3 Rue Caton in the Casbah
Casbah
The Casbah ) is specifically the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. More generally, a kasbah is the walled citadel of many North African cities and towns...
of Algiers by Lt. Colonel Jeanpierre
Pierre Jeanpierre
Pierre Paul Jeanpierre was a French Army officer. He fought during World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War, where he was killed in action...
and his 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was an airborne unit of the Foreign Legion. It fought in the First Indochina War, Suez Crisis and Algerian War, but was disbanded after taking part in a putsch against the French government in 1961....
. In August 1958, she was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour by the military tribunal of Algiers for terrorism, and was locked up in the women's section of the Barbarossa prison. She published a 20-page treatise, entitled The death of my brothers , in 1960, while still in prison. She was pardoned by Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
on the occasion of Algerian independence in 1962.
Personal life
Drif is the widow of former Algerian presidentPresident of Algeria
The President of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Algerian armed forces.-History of the office:...
Rabah Bitat
Rabah Bitat
Rabah Bitat . He served as President of the People's National Assembly from April 1977 to October 1990 and was the fifth President of Algeria from 27 December 1978 to 9 February 1979. He became president after the death of Houari Boumédiènne and was replaced by Chadli Bendjedid...
. She is reported to be a close friend of current president Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the ninth President of Algeria. He has been in office since 1999. He continued emergency rule until 24 February 2011, and presided over the end of the bloody Algerian Civil War in 2002...
.
See also
- Café WarsCafé warsThe Café Wars took place during the Algerian War, as a part of the internal fighting in France between two rival Algerian nationalist movements, the MNA and the FLN ....
- The Battle of AlgiersThe Battle of Algiers (film)The Battle of Algiers is a 1966 war film based on occurrences during the Algerian War against French colonial occupation in North Africa, the most prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers. It was directed by Gillo Pontecorvo...
- 1966 film based on real events
External links
- Letter to Zohra Drif, by Hélène CixousHélène CixousHélène Cixous is a professor, French feminist writer, poet, playwright, philosopher, literary critic and rhetorician. She holds honorary degrees from Queen's University and the University of Alberta in Canada; University College Dublin in Ireland; the University of York and University College...