French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, known for covering African football and contributing to So Foot magazine, has been sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria for “glorifying terrorism”.
According to his parents, Sylvie Godard and Francis, Gleizes is in a “fighting mood” but feels “completely cut off from the world, isolated” while being held in Tizi Ouzou prison.
His parents met with him earlier this month and are now calling for his case not to be used to settle political scores between France and Algeria.
Gleizes was convicted of “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing propaganda publications harmful to the national interest” due to his alleged contacts with the head of a football club linked to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which Algerian authorities classified as a terrorist organization in 2021.
His parents consider the charges “totally absurd” and have filed an appeal, which is expected to be heard in autumn.
The sentencing has sparked international condemnation, with media rights groups like Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calling for Gleizes’ immediate release.
The case highlights the strained relations between France and Algeria, with diplomatic tensions escalating over migration, extradition, and Western Sahara sovereignty.
