Growing Concerns Over Boualem Sansal’s Imprisonment Amid Algeria-France Tensions

Watan-After four months of imprisonment, concerns are growing over Boualem Sansal. The French newspaper Le Figaro reported that it has been a long four months since the Algerian-French novelist was arrested on November 16 at Algiers Airport.

François Zimeray, the lawyer defending the French-speaking Algerian writer, expressed deep concern last Tuesday during a press conference at the headquarters of Gallimard publishing house. He stated: “After nearly four months of his imprisonment, I am still waiting for a response to my visa request.

I find myself forced to acknowledge this reality: I have not been able to see my client, I have not been able to access the investigating judge’s office, and I have not been able to review the charges against Boualem Sansal. As a result, defending him has become impossible. When legal defense becomes impossible, when a lawyer’s reputation is smeared, and when it is physically impossible to practice law, a fair trial cannot take place.”

However, the Algerian regime appears indifferent. Zimeray himself has been the target of a smear campaign at the highest levels. He now realizes that this stance has yielded no results. On the contrary, Le Figaro reports that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in a direct challenge to the presumption of innocence and the separation of powers, declared Boualem Sansal guilty—without trial—before both chambers of the Algerian parliament.

The French newspaper warned that Sansal’s detention conditions are worsening. In response, his lawyer has become more aggressive in his advocacy, stating: “I cannot perform my duties as a defense attorney, and I must face the consequences.”

As a result, Zimeray announced that starting Wednesday, he will escalate the case to United Nations bodies and all international organizations where Algeria is represented, denouncing the arbitrary nature of the detention and violations of treaties guaranteeing fair trials.

Zimeray plans to invoke the UN’s “special procedures” related to the independence of judges and lawyers, judicial independence, and violations of the presumption of innocence and separation of powers—principles fundamental to any fair judicial process. He pledged to utilize all available diplomatic and legal channels to challenge Sansal’s imprisonment.

According to the latest updates from about two weeks ago, Zimeray learned that Sansal had been pressured and manipulated twice to change his lawyers. As a form of protest, Sansal considered a hunger strike, though it appears he has not yet carried it out. “At that moment, he and his loved ones were placed under total isolation—a blanket of fear, threats, and intimidation was thrown over him and those around him,” Zimeray said. Instead, Sansal sought to change his Algerian lawyers, specifically those who instructed him to dismiss Zimeray.

The lawyer’s latest reports indicate that Boualem Sansal is beginning to lose morale. He even spoke of “depression,” noting that the 80-year-old writer is also in poor health. “This is an exceptionally severe level of detention, which can only be explained by a deliberate attempt to persecute him as a hostage,” Zimeray said.

At present, a well-informed source confirmed that Sansal is in the hospital. His wife is the only person granted visitation rights, but those visits remain rare, Le Figaro reported.

The newspaper also quoted Antoine Gallimard, CEO of Gallimard publishing, as saying that obtaining reliable information has become increasingly difficult. Even the head of the Algerian Bar Association has rarely provided official confirmations. “We are completely in the dark regarding this case, which is extremely concerning. Personally, I have received no communication from Boualem Sansal, his family, or anyone else to confirm or deny any piece of information,” Gallimard stated.

Gallimard expressed his determination to hold regular press conferences until Sansal is released, stating: “We must remain vigilant, refuse to be silenced, and base our advocacy on verifiable facts.”

Le Figaro concluded that both François Zimeray and Antoine Gallimard share the same conviction: the author of The German Mujahid is clearly a hostage of the deteriorating relationship between France and Algeria. The resolution, they believe, will likely come through diplomatic channels. “The uncertainty surrounding Boualem Sansal’s legal status only reinforces that this is primarily a political and diplomatic issue beyond our control,” the publisher added.