French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the release of 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was sentenced to five years in prison by Algeria.
The sentencing came after allegations that Sansal had undermined Algeria’s territorial integrity in remarks made to a French far-right media group.
Specifically, Sansal stated that during the colonial era, France allocated too much land to Algeria and too little to Morocco, and also claimed that the disputed Western Sahara region historically belonged to Morocco.
Sansal was arrested in November 2024 after arriving in Algiers from Paris and has since faced worsening health conditions, requiring hospital treatment. His case has drawn widespread international condemnation, with several high-profile figures offering their support, including Nigerian author Wole Soyinka, British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, and French officials. A conservative Parisian mayor even announced plans to distribute free copies of Sansal’s books to all 18-year-olds in his district, labeling the writer’s imprisonment an assault on free speech.
During a recent press conference, President Macron expressed hope that Algerian authorities would show mercy and allow Sansal to receive medical treatment, stressing the importance of resolving the issue before full diplomatic relations could be restored. The French president had previously warned that Sansal’s arbitrary detention and deteriorating health were key obstacles to rebuilding trust between France and Algeria.
Algeria and France have had a fraught relationship since Algeria’s hard-won independence in 1962. Tensions escalated in 2024 when France voiced support for Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara, a position that angered Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front seeking independence for the territory. This led Algeria to withdraw its ambassador from Paris.
Sansal, an outspoken critic of the Algerian government and Islamist movements, has been praised by some for his anti-Islamist views. However, others accuse him of aligning with far-right ideologies, with leaders like Marine Le Pen labeling him a “fighter for liberty.” His most famous work, 2084, critiques religious extremism and won the prestigious Grand Prix of the Francophonie in 2015.
