French writer jailed in Algeria won't appeal, still hopeful of pardon: supporters

France 24

05-07-2025

The 80-year-old dual national writer was sentenced to five years behind bars on March 27 on charges related to undermining Algeria's territorial integrity over comments made to a French media outlet.
"According to our information, he will not appeal to the supreme court," the president of the author's support committee, Noelle Lenoir, told broadcaster France Inter on Saturday.
"Moreover, given the state of the justice system in Algeria...he has no chance of having his offence reclassified on appeal," the former European affairs minister said.
"This means that the sentence is final."
Sources close to Sansal told AFP that the writer had "given up his right to appeal".
His French lawyer, Pierre Cornut-Gentille, declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
France's prime minister Francois Bayrou said earlier this week that he hoped Algeria would pardon the author, whose family has highlighted his treatment for prostate cancer.
But Sansal was not among the thousands pardoned by Algeria's president on Friday, the eve of the country's independence day.
"We believe he will be released. It is impossible for Algeria to take responsibility for his death in prison," Lenoir said, adding she was "remaining hopeful".
A prize-winning figure in North African modern francophone literature, Sansal is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of Islamists.
The case against him arose after he told the far-right outlet Frontieres that France had unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial period from 1830 to 1962 -- a claim Algeria views as a challenge to its sovereignty and that aligns with longstanding Moroccan territorial assertions.
Sansal was detained in November 2024 upon arrival at Algiers airport. On March 27, a court in Dar El Beida sentenced him to a five-year prison term and fined him 500,000 Algerian dinars ($3,730).
Appearing in court without legal counsel on June 24, Sansal said the case against him "makes no sense" as "the Algerian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and conscience".
The writer's conviction has further strained tense France-Algeria relations, which have been complicated by issues such as migration and France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.