Overview

• Boualem Sansal, an 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of endangering state security and territorial integrity under Algeria's anti-terrorism law.
• The trial, held in Dar El Beïda, faced criticism for procedural irregularities, including the absence of Sansal's French lawyer due to visa denial.
• Sansal's arrest in November 2024 followed controversial remarks in a French media interview, which allegedly supported Morocco's territorial claims against Algeria.
• International intellectuals, human rights organizations, and French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, have condemned the verdict and called for Sansal's release.
• Concerns over Sansal's health, including his prostate cancer diagnosis, have added urgency to calls for his humane treatment and freedom.