Overview

• Boualem Sansal, an 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer, has been imprisoned in Algeria since November 2024 and sentenced to five years for alleged offenses against national integrity.
• His daughters, Nawal and Sabeha Sansal, published an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, urging him to intervene for their father’s release.
• The letter highlights Sansal’s deteriorating health and frames his detention as politically motivated, emphasizing his lifelong advocacy for freedom and democracy.
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot responded, affirming France’s commitment to securing Sansal’s release through continued diplomatic efforts.
• The case has become a focal point in worsening Franco-Algerian relations, marked by recent reciprocal expulsions of consular officials.