Rabat – A French support committee has called for a demonstration in Paris on Tuesday to demand the release of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, imprisoned in Algeria.
According to the AFP, the committee describes the 10-year prison sentence requested against him as a “death sentence.”
“This concerns all engaged citizens, human rights defenders, freedom advocates, and cultural figures. It is our responsibility to stand against this grim fate,” the committee stated in an appeal published by La Tribune Dimanche.
The call to action bears the signatures of prominent figures, including Noëlle Lenoir, former member of the Constitutional Council and president of the support committee, former minister Jean-Michel Blanquer, and writers Georges-Marc Benamou and Alexandre Jardin.
A trial with political undercurrents
Algerian prosecutors have sought a 10-year prison sentence for Sansal, 80, accusing him of undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity. His arrest on November 16 in Algiers has deepened tensions between Paris and Algiers.
The charges stem from remarks he made in October during an interview with Frontières, a French media outlet known for its far-right stance. In that interview, he echoed Morocco’s claim that parts of its territory were ceded to Algeria during the French colonial era.
Sansal faces prosecution under Article 87 bis of Algeria’s penal code, which classifies as terrorism or subversion any act deemed to threaten state security, territorial integrity, stability, or institutional functions.
Concerns over his health, diplomatic stalemate
His supporters see his imprisonment as politically motivated. “He has unwillingly become a pawn in the troubled relationship between Paris and Algiers,” the committee stated.
The signatories criticize the diplomatic approach taken so far, arguing that “discreet dialogue and soft methods have brought no concrete results.” They warn that Sansal’s condition worsens daily due to imprisonment and the cancer he battles.
In January, French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized Algeria for imprisoning renowned writer Boualem Sansal, denouncing the move as a “disgrace.” Speaking before French ambassadors at the Élysée, Macron accused the Algerian authorities of denying the gravely ill author access to medical care.
“Algeria dishonors itself by preventing a gravely ill man from receiving proper care,” Macron stated.
