Trial of Boualem Sansal Begins in Algeria with Prosecution Seeking 10-Year Sentence
The French-Algerian writer faces charges of violating Algeria's territorial integrity, drawing international condemnation and raising concerns over freedom of expression.
- Boualem Sansal, 80, was arrested in November 2024 after statements supporting Morocco's claims over Western Sahara in a 2023 interview.
- The prosecution has requested a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of one million dinars for alleged violations of Algeria's territorial integrity.
- Sansal's French lawyer was denied entry to Algeria, leaving him represented by a court-appointed attorney during the trial in Dar El Beida.
- International protests have intensified, with notable intellectuals and organizations calling for his release and condemning the trial as unjust.
- Concerns over Sansal's health persist due to his age, cancer diagnosis, and a brief hunger strike he ended on medical advice.
Der Tagesspiegel 
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 