Algerian Author Boualem Sansal Sentenced to Five Years for “Undermining National Unity”

French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday by an Algerian court on charges of “undermining national unity,” a move that has strained already fragile relations between Algeria and France, Al Jazeera reports.

The court in Dar El Beida, near Algiers, convicted the author under Algeria’s “anti-terrorism” laws after he gave an interview to the far-right French media outlet Frontieres. In the interview, published last October, Sansal questioned the historical basis of Algeria’s borders with neighboring Morocco, suggesting France had unfairly favored Algeria during the colonial era. He was arrested upon arriving in Algiers the following month.

The case has ignited controversy and further soured relations between Algeria and France. Ties had already been strained following France’s shift in policy to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory and Algeria’s subsequent rejection of French attempts to repatriate Algerian nationals facing deportation.

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed directly to Algerian authorities.

“I hope they will give him [Sansal] back his freedom and allow him to be treated for the disease he is fighting,” Macron said on Thursday, referring to reports in French media that Sansal is battling cancer. Macron urged Algerian authorities to show “good sense and humanity.”

Sansal, a renowned author and winner of the 2011 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, is a known critic of the Algerian government. Despite this, he has regularly visited the country and his books have been available for sale without restriction until now.

According to Hociane Amine, a lawyer present in the courtroom, Sansal, who defended himself after rejecting court-appointed lawyers, denied that his remarks violated any laws or were intended to harm Algeria.

While Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has previously publicly criticized Sansal, calling him an “imposter,” some observers speculate that the author might receive a presidential pardon during upcoming Muslim or national holidays

The five-year sentence handed down to Sansal is half of what prosecutors had requested and falls short of the recommended sentence for those charged under Article 87 of Algeria’s penal code, the controversial “anti-terrorism” statute implemented following mass protests in Algeria over the past decade.

Human rights organizations in Algeria contend that these laws have been consistently used to suppress dissent and silence anti-government voices.

In addition to the prison sentence, Sansal was also fined 500,000 Algerian dinars (approximately $3,735).