Overview

• Publisher Antoine Gallimard said, via Sansal’s wife, that the Sakharov push was an “insidiously partisan” démarche and that representatives in France would refuse the prize if the candidacy advanced.
• Sansal’s support committee contested Gallimard’s stance, arguing no one can speak in his name because he and his wife cannot communicate freely, and warning that blocking the prize would hinder efforts for his release.
• The Patriotes pour l’Europe group, led by Jordan Bardella and counting 85 MEPs, submitted Sansal’s name for the European Parliament’s freedom of thought award.
• Sansal has been imprisoned in Algeria since November 16, 2024, and was reported sentenced to five years for undermining national unity based on October 2024 comments to Frontières about Algerian and Moroccan territories.
• Writers rallied in Nancy over the weekend and a Paris gathering was called for Wednesday, as President Emmanuel Macron recently urged a firmer French approach toward Algeria over the case.