Boualem Sansal Appeals Five-Year Sentence in Algeria Amid Renewed Franco-Algerian Dialogue
Lawyer urges humanitarian release of 80-year-old French-Algerian writer as Macron and Tebboune discuss his case during efforts to ease diplomatic tensions.
Watan-The French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal has appealed a five-year prison sentence issued against him in Algeria, his French lawyer François Zimeray reported on Wednesday.
Zimeray called for a “humanitarian gesture” to release his 80-year-old client, saying that the appeal does not prevent Sansal from being granted a pardon.
This announcement comes two days after a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to relaunch dialogue between the two countries, during which Sansal’s fate was discussed.
Zimeray wrote: “The appeal does not prevent the application of the right to a pardon under Article 91 of the Algerian Constitution.”
He added: “If there is any chance for a humanitarian gesture, I would certainly advise Boualem Sansal to withdraw the appeal.”
Sansal Case Fuels Tensions, Then Thaws Diplomatic Chill
The writer’s arrest in mid-November exacerbated already existing tensions between France and Algeria, especially after Paris supported Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2024—a region where Algeria supports the independence movement.
The sentence was handed down by the Criminal Court in Dar El Beida near Algiers on March 27.
However, in the days that followed, diplomatic relations between the two countries improved. During their phone call on Monday, the French and Algerian presidents agreed to relaunch bilateral relations, which could lead to renewed cooperation on security and immigration.
Boualem Sansal faced criticism for remarks made in a French media outlet in which he said Algeria inherited land that had belonged to Morocco during the French colonial period.
Zimeray, authorized by the French publishing house Gallimard—which publishes Sansal’s works—was unable to obtain a visa from Algeria to take part in Sansal’s defense.
He has repeatedly stated that his client is “completely innocent” of the charges against him, which relate to endangering state security.
