States as international persons — State succession — Continuity of the law — Judgments of courts — Pending actions — Dismemberment of States — France and Algeria — Offence committed on Algerian territory prior to independence — Prosecution in Algerian court after independence — Algerian amnesty for offence after independence — Judgment of Algerian Court declaring offence amnestied — Subsequent prosecution for same offence in France — Whether non bis in idem rule applicable — Whether force of res judicata must be given to decision of Algerian court — Effect of Article 17 (4) of Franco-Algerian Judicial Protocol on pending actions — The law of France.