Rabat – A court in Algeria has announced a five-year prison sentence against French Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, a verdict that is expected to exacerbate the already fragile diplomatic ties between Paris and Algiers.
The court announced its ruling today, according to an AFP correspondent at the courtroom, noting that the writer was charged with allegedly undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity.
The verdict came after Sansal openly endorsed Morocco’s position on Western Sahara during an interview earlier this year.
In addition to the prison sentence, Sansal will also pay a fine of €3,500.
The prosecutor initially requested a ten-year prison sentence for the 80-year-old author.
Police in Algeria arrested Sansal in November, further deepening the already fragile tensions between Algiers and Paris.
In January, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Algeria for its decision to detain the renowned author, calling the writer’s arrest a “disgrace.”
“Algeria dishonors itself by preventing a gravely ill man from receiving proper care,” Macron said, expressing disappointment that such acts do not reflect the values of a nation that shares deep historical and familial ties with France.
He also described the author’s arrest as “arbitrary.”
Earlier this month, a support committee in France called for a demonstration in Paris, urging for the author’s release while describing the prosecutor’s 10-year prison sentence 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.
Algeria’s regime supports the separatist claims by the Polisario Front, a group that has been challenging Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces for decades.
Beyond the claims support, Algeria’s regime also hosts, finances, arms, and trains the separatist militias.
Algeria’s stance on France’s position extends beyond Paris’s frustration over the arrest.
The Northern African country has been lobbying and exerting pressure on France to reverse its newfound position on Western Sahara since Macron announced his country’s official recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
In addition to its Sahara position, Algeria has been at odds with France over its reluctance to receive its Algerian nationals subjected to a deportation order from Paris.
French officials have been calling for a strong stance from the Macron government, calling on the cabinet to respond by disallowing some French people to use diplomatic passports for tourism, medical treatment, and shopping.
Some officials also called on France to recall its ambassador in Algeria and change gear to tackle the diplomatic crisis.
Amid the crisis, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune claimed recently that he trusted the French president to resolve the crisis between the two countries.
“To avoid falling into the noise or the political chaos over there, I would just say three words: We keep President Macron as the only point of reference,” he said, describing the crisis between the two countries as a “moment of misunderstanding.”
Macron has to date offered no response to Tebboune’s claims.
