Writer Boualem Sansal Accuses the Algerian Authorities of Persecution and Vows to Take the Regime to International Justice
Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, a member of the French Academy, has announced his determination to take his case before international courts after the year he spent in Algerian prisons. The move revives criticism of Algeria’s military-backed regime, which is regularly accused of political repression and serious violations of fundamental freedoms.
At 81 years old, the author says he was the victim of what he describes as a genuine persecution orchestrated by the Algerian authorities. In statements reported by the French press, he spoke of a direct “aggression” by those in power against his person and said he now intends to demand accountability for what he considers a clear injustice.
This stance comes as the writer has just announced that he is joining Éditions Grasset, a publishing house belonging to the Hachette Livre group, bringing an end to a long collaboration with Gallimard, his historic publisher. For him, this change marks the beginning of a new chapter after a period marked by imprisonment and political pressure.
In November 2025, Boualem Sansal was released after spending nearly a year behind bars in Algeria. Authorities had sentenced him to five years in prison for “undermining national unity,” a charge widely viewed by numerous international organizations as a pretext aimed at silencing a critical voice.
His arrest sparked a wave of outrage in intellectual and publishing circles across Europe. The writer’s release came only after strong diplomatic pressure and international mobilization in favor of freedom of expression.
The Algerian authorities, led by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, eventually granted him a presidential pardon. However, for the writer, that decision is not enough to erase what he considers a profound injustice.
A Legal Battle Against Repression
Now a member of the prestigious French Academy, Boualem Sansal says he intends to take control of his fight once again. He explained that he no longer wishes to remain silent in the face of what he describes as a serious violation of his fundamental rights.
His objective is now clear: to bring the case before an international jurisdiction in order to demand explanations from the Algerian government regarding the circumstances and reasons behind his arrest.
According to him, the aim is above all to shed light on the reasons that led to him being deprived of a year of his life. The writer insists that he is not acting out of revenge, but rather out of a concern for justice and truth.
Sansal, a Symbol of a Repressive System
For many observers, the Sansal case has become a symbol of a suffocating political climate in Algeria, where dissenting voices such as writers, journalists and activists are regularly targeted by the justice system.
The case of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, arrested in 2024 and sentenced to a heavy prison term for “apology for terrorism,” is also cited as an example of the repressive policy denounced by several human rights organizations.
For Boualem Sansal, the legal battle ahead will be long and difficult. Yet the writer says he intends to go all the way so that this affair does not go unpunished.
After a year of deprivation of liberty, he says he is rediscovering the simple gestures of everyday life and savoring every regained moment. But this regained freedom now fuels a new determination: to publicly denounce the excesses of a system he accuses of having tried to silence a free voice.
Translated from Abderrazzak Boussaid’s French article – le7tv
