Latest news with #liberté d'expression
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Algerian court upholds writer's 5-year sentence in a case that's strained relations with France
ALGIERS: A court in Algeria on Tuesday upheld French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal's five-year prison sentence in a case that has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria and pushed tensions with France to the brink. The ruling denies a request made by prosecutors at an appeal hearing last week. They asked a judge to give Sansal the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The '2084: The End of the World' author was charged in March under Algeria's anti-terrorism laws and convicted of 'undermining national unity,' receiving his initial five-year sentence then. Before his arrest, Sansal's work faced bans from Algerian authorities but he regularly traveled between Paris and Algiers without issue. His books — written in French — are little read in Algeria. Sansal's appeal was closely watched in both France and Algeria. It caps a saga that has turned the novelist into a unlikely cause célèbre, uniting francophone writers, members of France's far right and European lawmakers in a rare chorus demanding his release. The issue arose last year when, in an interview with a French right-wing media outlet, Sansal questioned Algeria's current borders, arguing that France had redrawn them during the colonial period to include lands that once belonged to Morocco. The 80-year-old dual citizen was arrested the following month and later lambasted by the president in a speech to Algeria's parliament. The case has unfolded at a historic low point in Algeria's relations with France, which were strained further over the disputed Western Sahara. The territorial dispute has long helped shape Algeria's foreign policy, with its backing of the Polisario Front, a pro-independence group that operates out of refugee camps in southwestern Algeria. France angered Algeria last year shifted its longstanding position to back regional rival Morocco's sovereignty plan. Analysts say that Sansal has become collateral damage in the broader diplomatic fallout and describe the charges as a political lever Algiers is deploying against Paris. Sansal's supporters hope military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will grant a pardon on Saturday, when Algeria marks Independence Day and traditionally frees selected prisoners as part of a national amnesty. 'Now that a verdict has been handed down, we can imagine that clemency measures may be taken, especially because of our compatriot's health,' French Prime Minister François Bayrou told reporters on Tuesday. France's Foreign Ministry said it 'deplores' the decision to sentence Sansal to prison. 'This decision is both incomprehensible and unjustified,' it said in a statement. The timing is dire, Sansal's supporters in France and Algeria warn, as he battles prostate cancer and has spent part of his detention in a prison hospital. He appeared in court on Tuesday looking frail and without his trademark ponytail. Before his arrest, Sansal's work faced bans from Algerian authorities but he regularly traveled between Paris and Algiers without issue. His books — written in French — are little read in Algeria. However, he has amassed a large following in France for books and essays in which he regularly criticizes Algeria's leaders after 1962, when it won independence from French colonial rule, and the role of Islam in society. Under the imprint of the prestigious French publishing house Gallimard, he has published 10 novels and won a prize for the best novel of the year, the Grand Prix du Roman, in 2015.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Algerian court upholds writer's 5-year sentence in a case that's strained ties with France
A court in Algeria on Tuesday upheld Franco- Algerian author Boualem Sansal's five-year prison sentence in a case that has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria and pushed tensions with France to the brink. Prosecutors at an appeal hearing last week requested the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The '2084: The End of the World' author was charged in March under Algeria's anti-terrorism laws and convicted of 'undermining national unity,' receiving his initial five-year sentence then. Sansal's appeal was closely watched in both France and Algeria. It caps a saga that has turned the novelist into a unlikely cause célèbre, uniting francophone writers, members of France's far right and European lawmakers in a rare chorus demanding his release. The issue arose last year when, in an interview with a French right-wing media outlet, Sansal questioned Algeria's current borders, arguing that France had redrawn them during the colonial period to include lands that once belonged to Morocco. The 80-year-old dual citizen was arrested the following month and later lambasted by the president in a speech to Algeria's parliament. The case has unfolded at a historic low point in Algeria's relations with France, which were strained further over the disputed Western Sahara. The territorial dispute has long helped shape Algeria's foreign policy, with its backing of the Polisario Front, a pro-independence group that operates out of refugee camps in southwestern Algeria. France last year shifted its longstanding position to back Morocco's sovereignty plan. Analysts say that Sansal has become collateral damage in the broader diplomatic fallout and describe the charges as a political lever Algiers is deploying against Paris. Sansal's supporters hope military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will grant a pardon on Saturday, when Algeria marks Independence Day and traditionally frees selected prisoners as part of a national amnesty. The timing is dire, supporters warn, as Sansal battles prostate cancer and has spent part of his detention in a prison hospital. The case has split opinion in Algeria, where many see no place for writers in prison, while others view Sansal's comments about the country's borders as a provocation and an affront to their patriotism. French officials have urged Algeria to release him, with President Emmanuel Macron appealing directly to Tebboune to pardon Sansal during a March phone call, citing the writer's age and failing health as reason for mercy.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Algeria court to rule on bid to double writer's jail term
An Algerian court is expected to deliver a verdict Tuesday on prosecutors' bid to double the jail term of a dual-national author whose conviction has strained ties with France. Boualem Sansal, 80, was first 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. The prosecutor general appealed last month and is seeking a 10-year prison sentence. 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". He defended his remarks by citing the African Union's post-independence declaration that colonial borders should remain inviolable. When questioned about his writings, Sansal asked: "Are we holding a trial over literature? Where are we headed?" - Diplomatic rift - His family has expressed fears prison could jeopardise his health, noting he is receiving treatment for prostate cancer. French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to show "mercy and humanity" toward Sansal. Authorities in the North African country maintain that due process is being respected. The writer's conviction further strained already tense France-Algeria relations, which have been complicated by issues such as migration and Macron's recent recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front. Last month, the French National Assembly passed a resolution calling for Sansal's immediate release and linking future EU-Algeria cooperation to respect for human rights. While his case has become a cause celebre in France, among Algerians his past support for Israel has made him unpopular with a large segment of the population who back the Palestinian cause. Sansal faces charges including "undermining national unity", "insulting state institutions", "harming the national economy", and "possessing media and publications threatening the country's security and stability". Sansal's daughters, Nawel and Sabeha, told AFP in May they felt "a sense of total helplessness" over their father's imprisonment "simply for expressing an opinion". Some of the author's relatives have expressed hope that he will be pardoned on July 5, the 63rd anniversary of Algeria's independence. bur-fka-dv/smw/tc
