France Repeals Slavery-Era Code Noir

In a historic and unanimous 254-0 vote, the French National Assembly has moved to formally repeal the 'Code Noir,' a 1685 edict that governed slavery in France's colonies.

The law, signed by King Louis XIV, classified human beings as 'movable property' and provided legal justification for corporal punishment and extreme abuse.

Although France abolished slavery in 1848, the decree had remained on the books as a legal relic for nearly two centuries.

The repeal is seen as a significant symbolic step in addressing the nation's colonial past, though lawmakers stopped short of including provisions for financial reparations.