French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal pardoned and to be released from prison

"The French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal has been pardoned and is to be released from prison, the Algerian presidential office said in a statement on Wednesday. The move, which will mean Sansal can be transferred to Germany for medical treatment, comes after the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, urged Algeria to free Sansal. The president of the republic decided to respond positively to the request of the esteemed president of the friendly Federal Republic of Germany, said the Algerian statement, issued on Wednesday."

"Sansal, 81, suffers from prostate cancer. A vocal critic of the Algerian regime, Sansal was arrested at Algiers airport in November last year and sentenced to five years in prison in March, on charges of undermining national unity. His arrest came shortly after commenting in an interview that France had unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era."

"On Monday, Steinmeier said that pardoning Sansal would be an expression of humanitarian sentiment and political foresight. French president Emmanuel Macron went as far as saying that Algeria was dishonouring itself in imprisoning the writer. By releasing Sansal to Germany, the Algerian government has found a way out of the diplomatic standoff with its former coloniser without losing political face."

Algeria pardoned French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal and will release him for transfer to Germany for medical treatment. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged his release and requested humanitarian transfer. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had previously rejected French requests for pardon despite Sansal’s advanced age and prostate cancer. Sansal was arrested at Algiers airport in November and sentenced to five years in March on charges of undermining national unity after comments about France ceding Moroccan territory. Relations between Paris and Algiers have deteriorated since France backed Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2024. Releasing Sansal to Germany resolves a diplomatic standoff while allowing Algeria to save political face.

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