Latest news with #BoualemSansal
El Chorouk
11-07-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
French Government Once Again Leaning Towards Appeasement With Algeria
French authorities reiterated their position aimed at avoiding a verbal and political escalation against Algeria. This comes after Paris assessed that this strategy would be of no benefit and would further complicate the situation of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is serving a five-year prison sentence. The decision was made by the French Minister Delegate for the Francophonie and International Partnerships, Thani Mohamed Soilihi, who noted that the French government prefers to act 'quietly' to secure its nationals abroad, most notably Boualem Sansal, believing that public denunciations only worsen their situation, declared the Minister Delegate in charge of international partnerships, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday night. 'There are those who agitate or denounce without achieving anything, which makes the situation worse. We act quietly, with only results as a guide,' added Thani Mohamed Soilihi. The official agency explained that the statement by the official in François Bayrou's government came at a time when some politicians are calling on the government to raise its voice, particularly about Algeria and Iran, which has also imprisoned two French citizens (a woman and a man) on charges of spying for the Zionist entity. In response to government questions in the Senate, in the absence of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who was in London on an official visit with Emmanuel Macron, the French minister confirmed that 'the entire French diplomatic corps is working to secure the release of detained French nationals' abroad. After an unannounced truce by the French side, which began weeks before the appeal hearing in the Boualem Sansal case and continued until Independence Day, the French had hoped for the release of their 'writer,' either by reducing his sentence or issuing a presidential pardon. However, neither possibility materialised, a development that has confounded the political and media landscape in France and placed the French authorities, led by Emmanuel Macron, in a major embarrassment before the local public opinion. For nearly a week, French diplomacy has been under intense fire from Sansal's defenders, particularly the so-called Committee for the International Support of Boualem Sansal, represented by its president, Noëlle Lenoir, and its active member, Arnaud Benedetti. The committee accused the French authorities of not acting energetically enough, believing that the time for appeasement gestures is no longer right. Although Sansal did not benefit from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's pardon, based on the Algerian presidency's statement that excluded those who committed crimes against the country's territorial integrity, several French officials and some figures affiliated with the far right came out to confirm that a pardon was still possible and might even be considered a health consideration. This prompted the Algerian Press Agency to circulate a telegram that dashed all hopes of a pardon for the Franco-Algerian writer. This development has caused a stir in political and diplomatic circles in France, and the prospect of a renewed escalation between the two sides, which began earlier this year, has appeared on the horizon. This has been marked by the return of the former French ambassador to Algeria, who served twice, Xavier Driencourt, to the media spotlight via far-right media platforms, calling on Paris to return to its iron-fist logic and speaking of Algeria's humiliation of Paris, in a clear repetition of phrases previously repeated by the Interior Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, before he disappeared from view some time ago.
El Chorouk
09-07-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
The French Unleash Their Former Ambassador to Attack Algeria
Xavier Driencourt, France's former ambassador to Algeria, has reappeared in right-leaning French media outlets. The retired diplomat made two appearances on consecutive days, which suggests that this 'giant' has been freed from the shackles he was believed to have been bound by during the undeclared truce unilaterally observed by Paris, in an attempt to win over Algerian authorities to release the Franco-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, who is serving a five-year prison sentence in Algeria. For many weeks, the retired diplomat, who worked in Algeria twice (2008 and 2012), and (2017 and 2020), had not made any media appearances. This 'disappearance' coincided with a remarkable calm in French political and media circles regarding their dealings with Algeria, including those with right-wing leanings. This leads one to believe that the man received signals from decision-makers about the necessity of staying out of the spotlight. Xavier Driencourt, in an interview with French radio station 'Europe 1' on Wednesday, July 9, reiterated his inflammatory statements against Algeria, calling on his country's authorities to adopt a 'iron fist' policy. These statements were expected from him, as his frequent media appearances have become synonymous with attacking Algeria. According to the author of the books 'The Algerian Enigma' and 'Double Blindness,' Algeria has succeeded in taming French arrogance, despite the threats issued by more than one official in the administration of French President Emmanuel Macron. Here, Xavier questioned the threat issued by French Prime Minister François Bayrou last February, when he said that his country was giving Algerian authorities six weeks to settle the issue of Algerians who had been ordered to be expelled from French territory. However, to date, after nearly five months, none of what Bayrou promised has materialized, while Boualem Sansal remains imprisoned. According to Driencourt, Algerian authorities derive their strength from the weakness of French authorities, reiterating the demand for taking certain measures that have proven to be ineffective in subjugating Algerian authorities, who act based on defending their sovereign rights, and according to the same logic that the French defend, which is the independence of justice. Before appearing as a guest on 'Europe 1' radio, Driencourt, who suddenly transformed into a theoretician for the far-right regarding Algerian-French relations, had previously appeared as a guest on 'Le Figaro Live' online, where he also attacked the silence of French authorities regarding the continued imprisonment of Boualem Sansal. The retired diplomat criticized French circles that are futilely trying to instill hope in the supporters of the Franco-Algerian writer that he will be released soon, each time. He pointed here to the initial clinging to the possibility of overturning the court's sentence at the level of the Algiers Judicial Council, but the decision upheld the sentence. Then, hope shifted to a presidential pardon on the occasion of the double anniversary of Independence and Youth Day. Now, there is talk these days about the possibility of a pardon for Sansal for health reasons, as he is ill. When that does not happen, attention will turn, as Driencourt said, to next November, and so on. Xavier Driencourt expressed his disappointment at the lack of European support for the French position on the Sansal case, noting that Noëlle Lenoir, the head of the so-called International Committee to Support Sansal, contacted European Union officials to rally support for her cause, but she heard from them statements such as Brussels awaiting concrete action from Paris before taking action, which he considered a negative stance. The current French position on the Sansal case resembles what Spain experienced more than two years ago, when the Madrid government rushed to appeal to the European Union for support against the economic sanctions imposed by Algeria on Spanish companies at the time. However, it did not receive any support. In fact, countries like Italy and Spain, both EU member states, exploited the situation and entered into an exceptional partnership with Algeria (in the case of Italy), making Rome the exclusive distributor of Algerian gas in Europe, after Madrid had spent billions of euros to prepare the infrastructure to play the same role.
LeMonde
05-07-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
French writer jailed in Algeria won't appeal
French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal will not appeal his five-year prison sentence to Algeria's Supreme Court, sources close to the author said on Saturday, July 5, as Paris stepped up its calls for him to be pardoned. The 80-year-old dual national was sentenced to five years in March 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. "Moreover, given the state of the justice system in Algeria... he has no chance of having his offense reclassified on appeal," the former European affairs minister added. "This means that the sentence is final." French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said earlier this week he hoped Algeria would pardon the author, whose family has highlighted his treatment for prostate cancer. But Sansal was not on a list of thousands of people pardoned by Algeria's president on Friday, the eve of the country's independence day. 'Intolerable' Bayrou returned to the subject on Saturday. "Boualem Sansal has not been convicted for what he might have done but for opinions expressed," he told members of his party at a Paris meeting, the Parisien newspaper reported. "And that one of our compatriots, 80 years old and ill, is thus imprisoned is intolerable," he added. Lenoir said she remained hopeful. "We believe he will be released. It is impossible for Algeria to take responsibility for his death in prison," she said. 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 Frontières that France had unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial period from 1830 to 1962. Algeria views that claim as a challenge to its sovereignty and one that aligns with longstanding Moroccan territorial assertions. Sansal was detained in November 2024 upon arrival at Algiers airport. On March 27, a court in the town of 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 France-Algeria relations, already 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, an armed separatist movement.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French writer jailed in Algeria won't appeal, still hopeful of pardon: supporters
French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal will not appeal his five-year prison sentence to Algeria's supreme court, said sources close to the author on Saturday, saying they remain hopeful for a pardon. 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 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. dax-cco/ekf/yad
Arab News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
French writer Sansal jailed in Algeria still hopeful of pardon, supporters say
PARIS: French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal will not appeal his five-year prison sentence to Algeria's Supreme Court, sources close to the author said on Saturday, adding that they remain hopeful for a pardon. 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 offense reclassified on appeal,' the former European affairs minister said. 'This means that the sentence is final.' Sources close to Sansal said that the writer had 'given up his right to appeal.' His French lawyer, Pierre Cornut-Gentille, declined to comment. 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. However, 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. 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 that Algeria views as a challenge to its sovereignty and 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 stated that 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.
