Franco-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal has been sentenced to five years in prison by an Algerian court, a decision that comes after the prosecutor had requested a ten-year sentence during his trial on March 20th.
Sansal, who has been detained since November, was found guilty of charges including violating territorial integrity. This accusation stems from his endorsement, in a French far-right media outlet, of Morocco’s position regarding its territory, claiming it was unjustly ceded to Algeria during French colonization.
The Dar El Beida Criminal Court near Algiers handed down the five-year prison sentence and imposed a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars (approximately €3,500). Following the verdict, Sansal’s French lawyer appealed to the Algerian president for “humanity,” citing the author’s age and health, and suggesting a possible pardon.
Sansal’s arrest on November 16th exacerbated already strained relations between France and Algeria, which had been further complicated by France’s shift in support towards Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
During his trial, the prosecutor sought a ten-year prison sentence for the 80-year-old novelist. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron called for Sansal’s swift release, expressing confidence in the “clear-sightedness” of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Sansal, a former senior Algerian official and vocal critic of the government and Islamist extremism, had previously traveled freely to Algeria, where his books are sold without restriction. His case has garnered significant support in France, with hundreds of people, including far-right figures like Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, gathering in Paris to demand his release.
During his trial, Sansal maintained that he had exercised his “freedom of expression” and expressed “an opinion,” but admitted that he had underestimated the significance of his statements.
MK/Sf/ac/fss/abj/APA