Boualem Sansal, 81, has been pardoned by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and flown to Germany for medical treatment after nearly a year detained in Algiers. The release followed a direct intervention by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and was welcomed by France as the result of calm diplomacy. Sansal had been sentenced in July to five years for remarks questioning Algeria's borders; his case highlights wider tensions between Paris and Algiers over Western Sahara, expulsions and legal actions against French nationals.
Diplomatic Breakthrough: Algeria Pardons Novelist Boualem Sansal, Flown to Germany for Medical Care
Boualem Sansal, 81, has been pardoned by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and flown to Germany for medical treatment after nearly a year detained in Algiers. The release followed a direct intervention by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and was welcomed by France as the result of calm diplomacy. Sansal had been sentenced in July to five years for remarks questioning Algeria's borders; his case highlights wider tensions between Paris and Algiers over Western Sahara, expulsions and legal actions against French nationals.
01:19 PM, 11/13/2025Politics
Algeria grants clemency to veteran writer after international intervention
Almost a year after being detained on arrival at Algiers airport, French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, 81, has been pardoned by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and allowed to leave the country for medical treatment.
Sansal was flown to Germany on a military aircraft and admitted to hospital on arrival to receive care for prostate cancer. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier personally appealed to Tebboune, and Algerian authorities cited humanitarian grounds in granting the pardon.
"I thank President Tebboune for this act of humanity," French President Emmanuel Macron said after speaking with Sansal by telephone, praising calm diplomacy in securing the author’s release.
Diplomats say Steinmeier’s close relationship with Tebboune was decisive. French ambassador Stéphane Romatet, who had been recalled from Algiers earlier in the dispute, told French radio that the diplomatic rupture was deep and that a trusted third party was needed to achieve a positive outcome.
Legal case and wider diplomatic fallout
In July, Sansal was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of "undermining national unity" for remarks that questioned Algeria’s borders. The sentence and his detention became a flashpoint in an already strained relationship between Paris and Algiers.
Tensions between the two countries escalated over several issues, including France’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, reciprocal expulsions of diplomats, and the arrest in France of an Algerian consular employee linked to the alleged abduction of a government critic. Observers described the crisis as the most serious diplomatic rupture between the former colonial power and its former colony since Algerian independence in 1962.
Some French commentators blamed a hardline stance by right-wing figures for exacerbating the row. The replacement of former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau with Laurent Nuñez was interpreted by some diplomats as a shift toward a more conciliatory tone in Paris.
Remaining concerns
Despite Sansal’s release, tensions persist. French sportswriter Christophe Gleizes remains jailed in Algeria after a July conviction tied to an alleged attempt to contact a member of a group Algeria designates as terrorist. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot praised the diplomatic teams who secured Sansal’s freedom and said France continues to press for Gleizes’ release.
Context: Sansal is a well-known critic of Algerian authorities. His case has raised questions about freedom of expression, diplomatic leverage, and the role of third-party mediation in sensitive bilateral disputes.