An Algerian court sentenced French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal on Thursday to five years in jail for undermining national unity, drawing an expression of “regret” from France, which called for a swift and dignified end to the situation. Sansal has been detained in Algeria since November, spending time in hospital for ill-health, and French authorities as well as fellow writers have repeatedly called for his release.
The detention of Sansal, a critic of Islamism and of the Algerian government, as well as Algiers's refusal to take back those who are deported by French authorities, have only worsened tensions between France and Algeria.
"We regret the sentencing with a long prison term of our compatriot Boualem Sansal," France's foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said in a statement. "We reiterate our call for a quick, humanitarian and dignified end to this situation."
Read more here:
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/algeria-jails-writer-sansal-5-years-france-regrets-sentence-2025-03-27/
