Boualem Sansal’s lawyer to file complaint with UN in protest for Algeria’s arbitrary detention

Four months after the detention of French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, his lawyer said he will file a complaint with the UN to seek his release from an Algerian jail.

Sansal was arrested on November 16 upon his return from France where he gave an interview explaining the colonial nature of Algeria’s borders, notably citing the lands amputated by France from Morocco and attached to French Algeria.

He was arrested on the charges of undermining state sovereignty for pronouncing historical facts.

His arrest came against the backdrop of worsening ties between Paris and Algiers. Algerian opposition figures and the French political class consider his arrest a retaliation on France.

President Macron, French politicians and intellectuals kept calling for his release. All calls fell on deaf Algerian ears.

Eighty-year-old Sansal, who has prostate cancer, was deprived of his right to defense. His lawyer François Zimmeray was banned from taking the case because of his Jewish faith, in a blatant Algerian anti-semitic act.

Zimmeray, who was also denied access to Algeria, told Le Figaro he will write to the UN and all organizations to which Algeria is a member to denounce the arbitrary arrest of Sansal and the violations of his right to have a lawyer of his choice.

President Tebboune had already condemned Sansal whom he described as a “thief” and called a bastard “who does not know his own father.”