France overrides a 17th-century slave law

Yesterdaythe French National Assembly unanimouslyrepealedtheslave law . The law, signed in 1685 by Louis XIV, regulated slavery in the French colonies, and regardedthe slaves  as real estate .

In France,slavery was abolished in 1848, but the Black Code was still in force, as it was never formally annulled. The National Assembly has repealed the law itself and all the texts developed for its implementation at its session on Thursday.

  "Contrary to what people think, slavery was completely abolished in 1848, but with the Black Code this did not happen; it remained, so to speak, in the shadow of our legal system," denounced Maz Mathiasin, a member of the independent Liot party and promoter of the repeal.

In the opinion of the Member, in addition to the repeal, 'a broader exercise of memory must be carried out in order to recognise all the consequences of slavery. There's a lot of repair work to be done that goes beyond today. " 

Violence against slaves was permitted, as was the death penalty.
  
The Black Code regarded slaves as immovable property, and, like other estates, they could be bought and sold. The law authorized the use of violence against them, the imposition of punishments and the death penalty in cases of disobedience and attempted escape.

The 17th century regulation has been repealed 25 years after the adoption of the Taubira Act, which described slavery and trafficking in human beings as crimes against humanity, and a similar resolution was adopted in March by the United Nations General Assembly, calling slavery "the most serious crime against humanity, given its extent, duration, brutality". 

  
According to experts, the Black Code and the French colonial system madeitpossible for 1.5-2 million people to be slaves.