Algerian prosecutor appeals jail term for writer Sansal

Algeria’s prosecutor has appealed the five-year prison sentence handed to Boualem Sansal, a French-Algerian writer convicted of undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity, the Algiers bar association said according to AFP. Sansal, 80, was sentenced on March 27 after stating in a French far-right media interview that France had wrongly ceded Moroccan land to Algeria during the colonial era—a claim Algeria views as an attack on its sovereignty.

Sansal has also appealed, his lawyer confirmed, which could leave room for a presidential pardon. However, legal experts suggest a pardon is only possible once the final sentence is confirmed. French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to show “mercy and humanity.” 

The case has exacerbated tensions between France and Algeria, already strained over migration disputes and Macron’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. A date for the appeal has not yet been set, and its outcome could impact broader diplomatic relations.