French president demands release of novelist jailed in Algiers

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Algeria to release prominent novelist Boualem Sansal, who has been jailed by Algerian authorities since mid-November.

In keeping Sansal behind bars, Algeria was “dishonoring itself,” Macron told French ambassadors.

Macron deplored that Sansal, 75, is denied medical care due to his arrest.

“And we, who love the Algerian people and their history, urgently ask its government to release Boualem Sansal,” he said.

The calls for Sansal’s release came amid worsening ties between Algiers and Paris. Algeria has recalled its ambassador to Paris in protest over the French sovereign decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara territory.

Algeria’s president has called Sansal an “imposture…who does not know his own father,” in a blatant insult that indicates the political motives for detaining Sansal.

Prior to his arrest, Sansal has given an interview to a French media in which he recalled the history of Algeria’s colonial borders, a taboo issue in Algeria.

Sansal is facing grave accusations including terrorism and undermining national unity.

Sansal has also been a vocal critic of the Algerian regime. His arrest drew a wave of solidarity from rights defenders and prominent writers alike.