Lawyer for Detained Writer Boualem Sansal Escalates Case to United Nations

French attorney François Zimeray seeks UN intervention, citing arbitrary detention and violations of defense rights in Algeria.

Boualem Sansal, an 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer, has been detained in Algeria since November 2024 on charges of threatening state security.
Sansal's lawyer, François Zimeray, has been unable to access his client or review case files, rendering a fair defense impossible.
Zimeray announced plans to appeal to UN bodies, including the rapporteur on judicial independence and the group on arbitrary detention, to challenge Algeria's actions.
The writer, who is battling cancer, remains in a hospital under restrictive conditions, with limited visits from his wife and no confirmed updates on his health.
Supporters accuse Algeria of targeting Sansal for his criticism of the regime, framing his detention as politically motivated and tied to strained Algeria-France relations.