Overview
- President Abdelmadjid Tebboune granted the pardon after a request from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, citing humanitarian grounds.
- Sansal, 81 and treated for prostate cancer, had been serving a five-year sentence for “attacking national unity” over comments on Algeria’s borders during French rule.
- Algerian authorities said the German state will handle his transfer and medical care, with media reporting an imminent flight to Berlin for hospitalization.
- French leaders welcomed the decision as they continue pressing for fair treatment and release of other detainees, notably journalist Christophe Gleizes, whose appeal is set for December 3.
- The case, a flashpoint in a yearlong rift between Paris and Algiers, saw coordinated efforts by France and Germany, with Berlin’s mediation viewed as decisive and potentially easing tensions.