Algeria sentences French football journalist to 7 years jail: RSF
Christophe Gleizes, 36, who contributes to the So Foot magazine, was ordered by the court in Tizi Ouzou to be immediately incarcerated and will appeal the ruling on Monday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said.
'He has now been unjustly convicted and imprisoned for simply doing his job,' said the group.
Legal sources told AFP Gleizes had been taken to Tizo Ouzou prison straight after his conviction. Once he had filed his appeal, the case would be heard in October at the earliest, they added.
Gleizes, who has co-authored a book about football in Africa, was arrested in May 2024 and then placed under judicial control and prevented from leaving the country, RSF said.
'Christophe Gleizes has been subjected to an absurd judicial control order for over a year,' said Thibaut Bruttin, RSF's director general.
'His seven-year sentence is nonsensical and demonstrates one thing: today, nothing escapes politics,' he added.
Gleizes travelled to the country and Tizi Ouzou to write about the local football club Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie, named after Algeria's Kabylia region, home to the Berber Kabyle people.
'We are in shock,' his family said in a statement shared by RSF.
'There is no justification for Christophe having to endure this ordeal. How can one justify punishing a journalist for practising his profession with integrity?'
'In shock'
As well as 'glorifying terrorism', he was convicted of 'possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests', RSF said.
It said Gleizes had 2015 and 2017 been in touch with a Tizi Ouzou football figure prominent in the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), designated a 'terrorist' organisation by the Algerian authorities in 2021.
'The first two interactions between Christophe Gleizes and this individual occurred well before this designation,' it said, adding he had also not concealed contacting the person again in 2024 as part of preparations for the report.
'Imprisoned for doing his job!' said So Foot. 'His loved ones and editorial team are in shock,' it added.
The jailing of Gleizes comes as a time of growing tension between Algeria and former colonial master France.
Algeria arrested and jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November on national security charges and has defied calls from President Emmanuel Macron for his release.
Macron angered Algiers in July 2024 when he backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Inquiry accuses French PM of failing to act over school abuse
PARIS: Physical and sexual violence at a Catholic school in France persisted for years without any response from Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who served as education minister between 1993 and 1997, a parliamentary inquiry said on Wednesday. The scathing report issued by several French lawmakers, who have investigated the widespread claims of abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram boarding school, also pointed to 'persistent violence' in other French schools, accusing the state of failing to act. Bayrou, 74, has in recent months faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse over many decades at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school to which he sent some of his children. 'In the absence of action that the former education minister had the means to take, this physical and sexual violence against the pupils of Betharram continued for years,' the two co-rapporteurs of the inquiry, Violette Spillebout and Paul Vannier, said in a 330-page report. The conclusions of the commission of inquiry, which began its work in March and heard from 135 people including survivors of abuse at other schools, add further pressure on Bayrou, who survived a vote of no confidence on Tuesday. Named by President Emmanuel Macron in December to bring much needed stability to the French government, his minority coalition depends on the far-right to stay in office and risks being ejected in the autumn in a looming standoff over the budget. The centrist politician has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of 'destruction' against him. 'Absolute sadism' 'This commission of inquiry was a thorough investigation into the unthinkable: children, all over France, subjected to monstrous acts,' wrote Fatiha Keloua Hachi, who presided over the inquiry. Over the past three months the lawmakers heard of sexual violence and 'physical violence too, sometimes of an unprecedented severity, of absolute sadism,' she said. In mid-May, Bayrou was questioned during five and a half hours by the lawmakers investigating the violence, in one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office. He struck a defiant tone at the time and said he only knew of allegations of sexual abuse from media reports. Centrist Spillebout, and Vannier, a lawmaker with the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI), said the violence at the Betharram school was systemic and 'cannot be reduced to isolated incidents'. The violence 'was - at least in part - institutionalised', they said, with 'a community of prominent figures providing unwavering support', including 'members of the government'. The lawmakers stressed that the abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school was also 'far from being a unique case'. Such violence still persists in private schools, particularly Catholic establishments, the authors said, pointing to a 'strong code of silence.' The rapporteurs also deplored 'a failing state,' with 'virtually non-existent' controls and an 'inadequate' system of prevention and reporting. They listed a range of proposals to address the violence including creating a compensation fund for victims. Around 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Helene Perlant, accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. She said however her father did not know about the incident.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Malaysia eyes investment, trade ties with Italy, Brazil, France
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is set to strengthen investment and economic cooperation with Italy, Brazil, and France following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's working visit to the three nations. The trip, which began yesterday and continues until July 7, is part of efforts to deepen bilateral ties and expand global economic collaboration. MADANI Government spokesman and Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that discussions on strategic partnerships and investments are underway, with official announcements expected in the coming days. 'We can expect several discussions on investment and enhanced economic cooperation to lead to announcements in due course,' he said. Anwar's itinerary includes high-level meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to reinforce economic ties and explore cultural initiatives. He will also engage with French President Emmanuel Macron, focusing on trade, technology, and education sectors. The visit culminates with his attendance at the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil, hosted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. A Malaysian business delegation, featuring industry leaders such as Petroliam Nasional Bhd, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Sunway Group, and Malayan Banking Bhd, is accompanying the Prime Minister to explore new opportunities.
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
French PM Bayrou survives no-confidence vote as RN holds back
PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survived his latest no-confidence motion in parliament on Tuesday, after far-right National Rally (RN) lawmakers refrained from backing a measure brought by his opponents on the left. The measure garnered 189 votes, falling well short of the threshold needed to oust the government. Despite surviving his eighth no-confidence motion since taking office last December, Bayrou's premiership appears increasingly shaky. He now finds himself in the same position as his predecessor Michel Barnier, whose three-month stint as prime minister ended after the National Rally called time on his rule. Officials from the RN - the single largest party in the National Assembly but short of a majority - said they would not back the no-confidence motion. They prefer to refrain until later in the year, when even more complex talks over passing the 2026 budget threaten to once again topple France's government. Bayrou faces an uphill challenge to secure 40 billion euros in spending cuts for the 2026 budget. The Socialists filed the no-confidence motion after months-long talks to tweak the country's disputed pension reform ended without a deal. Bayrou convened the talks to secure the Socialists' support against an earlier no-confidence motion, but their fragile accord is now dead. RN party president Jordan Bardella, interviewed on CNews on Monday, gave no indication the RN would back the no-confidence measure. Instead, he called on French President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve parliament and call fresh legislative elections. Macron, whose second and final term as president will end in 2027, called a snap parliamentary vote last year after the RN surged in European Parliament elections. He can dissolve Parliament again from July 8. 'I don't see how anything healthy can emerge between now and 2027,' Bardella said.
