Algeria: Sansal in France after pardon, Macron receives him at the Élysée Palace

Paris (France), 18 Nov. (LaPresse) – Boualem Sansal, the Franco-Algerian writer who was pardoned last week in Algeria after a year in prison, has returned to France and was received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, according to a statement from Macron’s office. The 76-year-old author was released last week after Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune granted him a pardon at the request of the German authorities. Sansal, who is suffering from cancer, first travelled to Berlin, where he received medical treatment. His lawyer said his health was deteriorating. Macron expressed his gratitude ‘to all those who contributed to making that day possible,’ in particular German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, ‘whose good offices were decisive.’ Sansal, whose works have been critical of Islam, colonialism and contemporary Algerian leaders, was arrested at Algiers airport in November 2024 upon his arrival from France. He was imprisoned for a year before his release. In March, he was convicted of threatening national unity and insulting public institutions and was sentenced to five years in prison under Algerian anti-terrorism laws. The Support Committee for Sansal, a group of politicians, intellectuals and activists set up to call for Sansal’s release, welcomed the author’s return to France. ‘We send our fraternal greetings to Boualem and his family, who have gone through this long, unjust and painful ordeal with courage and dignity,’ the group said in a statement.