This Thursday, March 27, Boualem Sansal, imprisoned in Algeria, was sentenced to 5 years in prison. However, he could benefit from presidential grace.
The writer Boualem Sansal, imprisoned in Algeria since November 16, was prosecuted for “damage to national unity, an outrage with a constituted body, practices likely to harm the national economy and detention of videos and publications threatening the security and stability of the country”. He is notably accused of having taken a position for Morocco in a renowned French media of the far right.
The Algerian prosecution had then requested ten years in prison, but he finally received a conviction to 5 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 dinars (3,470 euros) this Thursday, March 27. Boualem Sansal, who had denied all the accusations against him, can still decide to appeal this decision, but also the prosecution.
If this is not the case, another solution could be offered to the writer. According to a source close to the file to AFP, this sentence allows the Algerian state to “save the face while leaving the door open to a possible presidential grace”. According to certain analyzes put forward by observers, this grace of the Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune could even intervene quickly either this weekend for the end of Ramadan or in a few months, notably on July 5, the date of traditional graces of the Algerian independence festival. “Whatever the conviction, we hope for a presidential grace,” reacted just before the verdict, on franceinfoKamel Bencheikh, Franco-Algerian poet and friend of Boualem Sansal. According to him, the speed of the judgment, occurring four months after the arrest, is a good sign, because, to obtain a presidential pardon, the final conviction must be pronounced. The latter also mentioned the two key dates to come, possible for such a decision.
A disturbing state of health
“His age and his state of health make even more inhuman incarceration. I call to the Algerian president: justice has failed, that at least humanity prevails,” wrote the accused’s lawyer, Me Zimeray, on Xin turn alluding to a possible grace by the head of state. The writer is, in fact, 80 years old and suffering from cancer. Kamel Bencheikh also assures that he had “no news” of his friend’s state of health.
In France, many calls for the release of the writer were numerous. A gathering of support took place this Tuesday, March 25 in Paris on Tuesday, in front of the National Assembly. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, was present as the presidents of the Assembly and the Senate, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérard Larcher. Emmanuel Macron also supported the release of the writer. “I have confidence in President Tebboune and his clairvoyance to know that all of this is not serious and that we are dealing with a great writer, which is more sick”.