Overview

• The Dar El Beida appeals court rejected prosecutors’ request to increase Boualem Sansal’s sentence to 10 years and upheld the March verdict.
• Sansal was convicted under anti-terrorism laws for remarks questioning colonial-era border transfers and fined 500,000 dinars.
• President Macron and Prime Minister Bayrou have appealed to President Tebboune for clemency before Algeria’s July 5 Independence Day amnesty.
• Supporters warn that Sansal’s age and ongoing prostate cancer treatment heighten humanitarian concerns over his detention.
• Observers say the case has deepened France-Algeria tensions and underscored wider anxieties about freedom of expression in Algeria.