Overview
- The Algerian presidency said it granted a presidential pardon and accepted Germany’s request to take charge of Boualem Sansal’s transfer and treatment.
- Sansal was arrested in Algiers on November 16, 2024 and in July 2025 was sentenced on appeal to five years’ imprisonment and a fine.
- Prosecutors cited charges including “undermining national unity” and “insulting a constituted body,” relying on public remarks about Algeria’s western borders and a private WhatsApp exchange.
- German authorities sought clemency on humanitarian grounds due to the elderly writer’s serious illness, prompting Algeria’s decision to allow medical care in Germany.
- French officials and cultural figures welcomed the announcement, which comes during strained France–Algeria relations that have featured diplomatic expulsions and recalls.