Algerian Court Requests 10-Year Sentence for 80-Year-Old Boualem Sansal, Incacerated Since Nov 2024, Amid France-Algeria Tensions

The Algerian justice system has requested a 10-year prison sentence in an appeal trial against Boualem Sansal, a Franco-Algerian writer who has been incarcerated since November 16, 2024. Sansal, aged 80 and reportedly weakened by cancer, was initially sentenced to five years in prison in March 2025. The appeal hearing took place before the Court of Appeal in Algiers, where the prosecution accused him of undermining national unity, linked to his comments on Algerian borders. The increased sentence request has drawn condemnation from Sansal's supporters and French officials, who describe the demand as tantamount to a death sentence given his age and health. The case has also intensified diplomatic tensions between France and Algeria, with calls for the French government to intervene using all diplomatic and economic means to secure Sansal's release. Sansal's imprisonment remains a focal point in the strained relations between the two countries.