The hope was thin, but his relatives hung on it all the same. Abdelmadjid Tebboune did not give a gift. The Algerian president decided on Friday not to grant thanks to Boualem Sansal, imprisoned since March 2025 for “attack on national unity”.
In Algeria, tradition wants a certain number of detainees to be pardoned every July 5, the day of the Independence Festival. Emmanuel Macron and the government saw an opening to release the 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer, whose state of health is worrying, and thus appease the strong diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
“It is unfortunately not a surprise”
But Abdelmadjid Tebboune decided otherwise. The decrees published this Friday are formal: the prisoners convicted for “damage to national unity” will not be pardoned this year. Boualem Sansal is therefore behind bars.
“It is unfortunately not a surprise,” said Arnaud Benedetti, friend of the writer and member of his support committee. “We are disappointed and paid,” said Noelle Lenoir, president of this same committee. “In recent days, the signals have been bad. »»
The Algerian press had shown itself offensive and severe in recent days towards Boualem Sansal. “The great French imposture”, could be read Thursday on its case in the One of the daily L’Expression, renowned as being close to the executive.
A grace still possible
The conviction of Boualem Sansal to five years in prison was confirmed on Tuesday by the Algiers court of appeal. By choosing not to appeal to cassation, the writer accepted that his conviction becomes final, a prerequisite for any grace measure in Algeria. One way also to say that a political and diplomatic outcome is possible.
If Abdelmadjid Tebboune did not take this opportunity, he can still decide to release the writer by the end of his conviction. Presidential grace for medical reasons is possible. Affected by prostate cancer, Boualem Sansal could legitimately benefit from it. It remains to be seen whether the Algerian head of state wants to give him this pleasure.
“The lower France, the more the balance of power is against our disadvantage”
Relatives of the writer remain skeptical. “I think that the Algerian regime imposes a balance of power on France, and that France does not want to answer it,” regrets Arnaud Benedetti. “The lower France, the more the balance of power is against us. For months we have been praising a hypothetical diplomacy that would be effective, but it has not given any results, ”he continues.
The recent news around Christophe Gleizes does not reassure the entourage of Boualem Sansal. This French sports journalist, who collaborates in particular with the SOPRESS group, was tried on Sunday for “apology for terrorism” and “possession of publications with a purpose of propaganda harming to the national interest”. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
