Less than twenty-four after the announcement of the conviction of our colleague Christophe Gleizes to seven years in prison by the Algerian justice, France deplored on Monday “the heavy conviction” inflicted on the journalist, reaffirming its attachment to the freedom of the press without however calling Algiers to make him release in a context of exacerbated crisis between the two countries.
The condemnation of this journalist, in a case which had not been made public until then, comes when the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, whose detention in Algeria constitutes one of the elements of the crisis between Paris and Algiers, awaits the judgment of his appeal trial on Tuesday.
“France strongly regrets the heavy conviction to a sentence of seven years in prison by French journalist Christophe Gleizes,” said the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement published in the aftermath of this case by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and its employer, the SO Press group.
Defense appealed the conviction
As of Sunday, the latter had denounced an “unfair” sanction and announced that an appeal would be brought. On Monday, the Quai d’Orsay assured follows “closely” the situation of the journalist “since his arrest in Algeria in May 2024” and “brought him aid and consular protection throughout his judicial control”. “All services remain mobilized to assist him and are in regular contact with him, his relatives and his advice,” he added.
According to legal sources contacted on Sunday by AFP in Algeria, the journalist was led directly to the prison of Tizi Ouzou after his conviction. The defense called on this conviction on Monday. The co -author of a formidable investigation into the “modern slavery” of African players, who emigrate in the hope of a better life, should be re -joined but not before the next criminal session which will open in October, according to these same sources.
