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Join on Telegram Rabat – French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal arrived in Berlin on Wednesday evening after his release from Algeria.
A senior advisor to the German president traveled to Algiers to accompany Sansal abroad on a German military aircraft, AFP reported, quoting the German President’s spokesperson.
He was immediately taken to a hospital, the spokesperson said, adding that the author’s wife is expected to join him today from Algeria.
In response to Algeria’s decision to release Sansal, President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune “for this important humanitarian gesture.”
He said this reflects the “quality of relations and mutual trust between Germany and Algeria.”
French response to the release
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed contentment for Sansal’s release, saying that the release was the “result of France’s consistent efforts and a method built on respect, calm, and determination.”
Macron’s remarks come as tensions continue between his country and Algeria for different reasons, including France’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
The tension is also due to Algeria’s consistent refusal to receive returning Algerian citizens under deportation measures in France.
In October, the French National Assembly voted to end the 1968 French-Algerian agreement that grants Algerian citizens easier access to residence and work permits in the European country.
Sansal previously received a five-year prison sentence handed down to him in March this year. An Algerian court upheld the verdict, accusing him of undermining Algeria’s national unity.
The accusations came following Sansal’s comments in October 2024 in an interview with Frontieres, where he said Algeria claimed regions under French colonization that previously belonged to Morocco.
