Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was released on Wednesday from Algerian prisons through a humanitarian pardon granted by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, at the request of his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Aged 81 and suffering from cancer, the author greeted his return to France with optimism. This decision comes after diplomatic tensions between Paris and Algiers, signaling a possible turning point in their relations.
Boualem Sansal, arrested on November 16, 2024, in Algiers for 'undermining national unity' following statements on Algerian borders and Morocco, spent nearly a year in detention. Sentenced to five years in prison in first instance on March 27, 2025, then on appeal on July 1, he had renounced cassation to be eligible for a pardon. President Tebboune favorably responded to Frank-Walter Steinmeier's request, citing humanitarian reasons given Sansal's advanced age and fragile health, treated for prostate cancer.
In his first post-release interview, given by phone to Kamel Daoud for Le Point from a hospital in Berlin, Sansal stated: 'Hello France, Boualem is back. We're going to win!'. He said he was 'doing pretty well' and 'tough,' affirming: 'I'm not going to be destroyed by a little year in prison.' He described strict detention conditions: isolation, no communication, reading limited to religious or Arabic books, with a clandestine book trade. He hopes Franco-Algerian relations will evolve thanks to German intervention.
The release sparked political reactions in France. Bruno Retailleau, Republicans president and former Interior Minister, who advocated a 'balance of power' with Algiers and criticized the 'diplomacy of good sentiments,' rejoiced: 'He will finally rejoin his family and return to France, which he had missed so much. It's an immense relief and great joy.' Tensions arose between the Macron and Retailleau camps, with the executive reproaching the latter for a vengeful approach. Writer Pascal Bruckner revealed that Macron asked him at the end of September not to 'take the ramparts' during a dinner at the Élysée, criticizing the French president's accommodating attitude toward Algiers.
Despite this diplomatic success, challenges remain: journalist Christophe Gleizes is still imprisoned, and issues like OQTF or Western Sahara hinder normalization. A possible Macron-Tebboune summit at the G20 in Johannesburg could relaunch dialogue.
