Freedom for Boualem Sansal and all Political Prisoners

In the last few years, the Algerian regime stepped up its targeting of dissenters and critics inside and outside of Algeria. Those who live outside Algeria are welcomed with a pair of cuffs just as they land at the airport for a family visit. This is what happened on November 16th 2024 to Boualem Sansal, an award winning French-Algerian writer.

He was taken from the airport and detained at an undisclosed location for 5 days, then brought in front of a judge. In an article published by APS (Algeria Press Service), on November 22nd, 2024, announcing his arrest, Mr Sansal and France were violently attacked.

On November 26th, 2024, Mr Sansal was brought before the Sidi-M’hamed anti-terrorism court, accused of “[being] a threat to national security and the integrity of the Algerian territory” and remanded to custody. He was accused by virtue of the Article 87bis (amendment of 2021) of the Penal Code that redefined “terrorism”. This article considers as a terrorist anyone who threatens national security or the integrity of the Algerian territory or seeks regime change using unconstitutional means. To add insult to injury, the Algerian president attacked Mr Sansal in front of the media, literally insulting him and making sure he never gets a fair trial.

Prior to his career as writer, he served the Algerian government for decades as an economist. Following the Algerian civil war (1990’s) Sansal started to write about Algeria and Islamism and became a notable critic of the regime and the Islamist ideology. Mr Sansal’s views and his travel to Israel made him many enemies in the Algerian regime and among many Algerians. Many press agencies, including Algerian media, consider his arrest this time as being related to his recent statements that some part of western Algeria may be part of the kingdom of Morocco and that Algeria was a creation of France.

Algeria’s borders being set by France are a fact, just like those all countries in Africa. That Mr Sansal makes a claim to the correctness of the borders of Algeria and Morocco is one thing, but the fact remains that Algeria did gain its independence from France with whatever is included in those borders and those borders are internationally recognized. This, therefore, points to two important facts:

• The statements made by Mr Sansal do not justify his arrest.

• Algeria and Morocco are sovereign nations and if there is a territorial dispute between them, it ought to be resolved at the UN. That Mr Sansal holds an opinion Algeria disagrees with is in no way a threat to national security. Further, Mr Sansal is entitled to his opinion.

Therefore, KHR considers that Mr Sansal’s arrest is politically motivated. It not only violates the Algerian constitution which guarantees freedom of expression, but it also violates the international covenants signed by Algeria:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

• The African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights

• The Arab Charter for Human Rights

  
  

In reality, Mr Sansal’s arrest helped shed some light on the brutal nature of Algeria’s regime. This regime led by President Tebboune is the author of the unconstitutional Article 87bis of the Penal Code which needs to be repealed. It is on the basis of this article that hundreds of Kabyles have been arrested and charged with terrorism because they merely held a political opinion, exercised their civic duties, expressed themselves or have sympathy with MAK (Movement for the Self Determination of Kabylia), which has been arbitrarily classified as a terrorist organization.

KHR calls for the immediate release of Mr Sansal and of all those jailed for expressing their opinions. KHR calls for the immediate repeal of Article 87bis and an end to all attacks on civil and political liberties in accordance with the international treaties and conventions Algeria is part to.

Boualem Sansal–Algerian-French novelist and essayist –multiple awards winner