Latest news with #BoualemSansal
El Chorouk
5 days ago
- Politics
- El Chorouk
French Authorities Raise Sansal Case Again To Brussels
After a remarkable silence that lasted for a few weeks, what is known as the committee supporting the Franco-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, decided to act again, by pressuring the institutions of the European Union, in order to resolve this issue, which has seen a striking decline in discussion within political and media circles in France. In a statement by Arnaud Benedetti, a member of the committee supporting the writer imprisoned in Algeria on charges of involvement in targeting the territorial integrity of the country, he said that the committee had filed a complaint with the European Union's 'Ombudsman' due to what he described as the 'inaction' of EU institutions in defending Boualem Sansal's case. After Arnaud Benedetti pointed out that the French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) adopted a draft resolution on May 6 calling for the release of Boualem Sansal, with no significant results, he stated in an interview with the French parliamentary channel that the committee had not received 'any response' from the High Representative of the European Union since that date, which prompted the committee to 'contact the Ombudsman' to move the file. The Franco-Algerian writer, who is serving a five-year prison sentence, entered his seventh month in Koléa prison near the capital, while the Algiers Judicial Council is expected to begin reviewing his case again in an appeal session on the 24th of this month, following the public prosecutor's decision at the Dar El Beida court in the capital to appeal the five-year prison sentence. Based on the statement issued by a member of the committee supporting the Franco-Algerian writer, the committee aims to incite European Union institutions against Algeria, based on the partnership agreement signed between the two parties in 2002, which came into force in 2005, and which includes clauses on human rights. The committee, composed of French nationals, sought the help of European Union institutions after all attempts at blackmail led by French politicians and media figures, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, and many ministers in François Bayrou's government, such as Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and many political figures belonging to the traditional right and the far-right, failed. However, those repeated French campaigns and provocations only complicated the case of the writer accused of espionage and working for foreign entities, which prompted the Paris authorities to review their tone and lean towards de-escalation, by using phrases dominated by entreaty and appeals, realizing that those methods would only complicate the file further. Despite the change in the tone of the French authorities and their political and media arms towards Algeria, this does not mean that Paris has learned its lesson, as many observers believe that the former colonizer has not yet gotten rid of old practices, which are often characterized by political hypocrisy in secret, and de-escalation in public. It can be noted here the role that Paris may have played in classifying Algeria on the European Union's 'blacklist' of high-risk countries regarding money laundering and terrorist financing, which was recently issued by what is known as the 'Financial Action Task Force,' headquartered in the French capital and affiliated with the European Commission. Decisions issued by the European Union, particularly those concerning the Maghreb countries and Algeria, are usually entrusted to France due to its history in the region, which gives Paris a hand, one way or another, in this classification, and the Algerian authorities are well aware of this.
El Chorouk
20-05-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Paris Foreign Minister Renews Appeal to Algeria in Sansal Case
While the French side insists, each time, that the French judiciary is sovereign and the executive authority has no influence over it, officials in Paris find no embarrassment in violating this principle, which is customary in democratic countries, by attempting to interfere in the affairs of the Algerian judiciary when it comes to France's interests. The latest chapter in this equation is what was issued by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Tuesday, April 20, 2025, where he did not hesitate to delve again into the case of the Franco-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, which is considered among the issues that have exacerbated relations between the two countries. In an interview with Radio France Internationale 'France Inter', the head of French diplomacy expressed hope that the Algerian authorities would take a 'humanitarian gesture' in favor of the Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal. It was notable in his speech that he spoke of 'the Algerian authorities', which is usually understood as a reference to the political decision-makers in the country. The French official's statement came on the occasion of the start of the first sessions of the trial of the Franco-Algerian writer, who is accused of undermining the territorial integrity of the country, at the level of the Algiers Judicial Council, which decided to postpone the trial until June 24, with the verdict to be announced on July 1, 2025. Jean-Noël Barrot said: 'I am very concerned about his health. He is an elderly and frail man,' and he went on to comment: 'For this reason, I hope that he will be tried as soon as possible, and if possible in the next few days, so that after this ruling, a humanitarian gesture can be made towards him, a gesture that we have called on the Algerian authorities to make.' This is not the first time that such statements have been issued by French officials, from the highest official, represented by the master of the Elysée Palace, Emmanuel Macron, to his Prime Minister, François Bayrou, and his Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, and officials and deputies in both houses of parliament. However, the Algerian side has not responded to these demands, but rather considered them a blatant interference in the judicial affairs of a sovereign state. The Algerian judiciary had sentenced Boualem Sansal, who has been imprisoned since mid-November, to five years in prison on March 27, following statements Sansal made to the far-right channel 'Frontières'. These statements were interpreted by the Algerian judiciary as causing serious harm to the territorial integrity of the country, in addition to being contrary to historical truth and the reality on the ground. They were also severely criticized by the French historian, Benjamin Stora, who refuted them with irrefutable and undeniable evidence. The French minister's statements came in the context of an unjustified French escalation regarding this issue. On May 6, the French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) adopted a parliamentary resolution calling for the 'immediate release' of the Franco-Algerian writer. The deputies also urged, through that resolution, the European Union to pressure Algeria to release Boualem Sansal, and also urged Brussels to condition any cooperation with Algeria on the release of the convicted writer. According to observers, the French foreign minister's statement will have no effect on the case of the Franco-Algerian writer, as long as Paris continues its provocations against Algeria, by targeting its consular interests (kidnapping and imprisoning consular officials outside diplomatic norms and the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations), in addition to violating bilateral agreements in the diplomatic field, not to mention the continuous harassment of the Algerian community.
El Chorouk
04-05-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
French Far-Right Incites The European Union Against Algeria
The French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) witnessed a hysterical campaign led by deputies from the right and far-right against Algeria, exploiting the case of the writer Boualem Sansal in an attempt to impose political and judicial guardianship over a sovereign state, through a series of shocking amendments to a draft resolution that was supposed to be symbolic, but turned into a crude political pressure card. This torrent of delirium, hatred, and blatant interference in Algeria's internal affairs came after amendments submitted on Thursday, May 2, 2025, which 'Echorouk' reviewed, to a text by the Foreign Affairs Committee that had been adopted by the European Affairs Committee regarding the proposal submitted by Deputy Constance Le Grip and other members, concerning a European resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Boualem Sansal. In this context, deputies from the 'Les Républicains' and 'Rassemblement National' parties proposed amendments to the draft text, including a clause calling on the French government to suspend the granting of visas to Algerian citizens unless Sansal is released, which reflects a collective racist punitive approach targeting Algerians, especially families. The text of the amendment stated, 'We call on the French government to significantly reduce, or even suspend, the issuance of visas to Algerians, as long as Boualem Sansal has not been released.' The proponents of the amendments also did not hesitate to demand that the French government suspend 'alleged aid.' The accompanying arguments for the amendments included shocking condescending language, as the deputies accused the Algerian authorities of 'deliberately humiliating Sansal' and 'exercising unjustified political pressure on France,' considering Paris's stance on the issue 'weak and complicit,' and demanding a firm stance that includes 'using diplomatic and financial pressure tools.' It was also proposed to change the content of the paragraph on bilateral relations, by deleting the partnership formula and replacing it with a conditionality formula for the continuation of financial and executive cooperation based on 'Algeria fulfilling its commitments' in files such as the repatriation of Algerians deported from France, and the 'immediate release of Sansal.' In a new escalation that reflects a renewed colonial mentality, the proponents of the amendments from the right and far-right proposed a blatant amendment to the draft resolution, demanding that any future financial partnership between Algeria and the European Union be linked to respecting purely French conditions, foremost among them the file of repatriating Algerian migrants who have been issued deportation orders from French territory, and what they call the 'immediate release' of the writer Boualem Sansal. The proposed amendment noted that the European Union granted Algeria approximately 213 million euros between 2021 and 2024 within the framework of what is known as the 'Multiannual Financial Framework,' and this figure was later exploited as a political blackmail tool by French deputies attempting to impose impossible conditions on Algeria, as if European support is a favor conditioned on political loyalty or diplomatic submission. This far-right discourse not only reflects the hypocrisy of the French right-wing elites but also shows frantic attempts to turn European funding into a new colonial stick to be raised in the face of independent states, foremost among them Algeria, which has refused, and continues to refuse, to be under Paris's guardianship, no matter how it changes its pressure tools or disguises itself in the cloak of Europe.
Egypt Independent
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
France expels 12 Algerian officials in tit-for-tat move amid diplomatic tensions
AP — France said Tuesday it was expelling 12 Algerian diplomatic officials a day after Algeria announced the expulsion of the same number of French officials in escalating tensions between the two countries. Algeria said Monday that its expulsion of 12 French officials was over the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities in a kidnapping case, but relations between the two sides have been deteriorating since last summer. That's when France shifted its position to support Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara – a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algeria. Tensions further peaked in November after Algeria arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is an outspoken critic of Islamism and the Algerian regime. He has since been sentenced to five years in prison – a verdict he subsequently appealed. In addition to what French officials called the 'symmetrically' calibrated expulsion of 12 Algerian officials, France's ambassador to Algiers also was being recalled home for consultations, a statement from the French presidential palace said Tuesday. It said Algerian authorities were responsible for 'a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X that Algeria's decision was 'unjustified' and that dialogue 'cannot go one-way.' French counterterrorism prosecutors said three Algerian nationals in total were arrested last week and handed preliminary charges of 'kidnapping or arbitrary detention … in connection with a terrorist undertaking.' The group is allegedly involved in the April 2024 kidnapping of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, or Amir DZ, a known critic of the Algerian government with 1.1 million followers on TikTok. The Algerian foreign affairs ministry said the arrest of the consular official as part of the kidnapping case aimed to 'humiliate Algeria, with no consideration for the consular status of this agent, disregarding all diplomatic customs and practices, and in flagrant violation of the relevant conventions and treaties.' The latest surge in acrimony followed a brief easing of tensions about two weeks ago when French President Emmanuel Macron called Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune. French officials said at the time that they had agreed to revive bilateral relations.
CNN
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
France expels 12 Algerian officials in tit-for-tat move amid diplomatic tensions
France said Tuesday it was expelling 12 Algerian diplomatic officials a day after Algeria announced the expulsion of the same number of French officials in escalating tensions between the two countries. Algeria said Monday that its expulsion of 12 French officials was over the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities in a kidnapping case, but relations between the two sides have been deteriorating since last summer. That's when France shifted its position to support Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara – a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algeria. Tensions further peaked in November after Algeria arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is an outspoken critic of Islamism and the Algerian regime. He has since been sentenced to five years in prison – a verdict he subsequently appealed. In addition to what French officials called the 'symmetrically' calibrated expulsion of 12 Algerian officials, France's ambassador to Algiers also was being recalled home for consultations, a statement from the French presidential palace said Tuesday. It said Algerian authorities were responsible for 'a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X that Algeria's decision was 'unjustified' and that dialogue 'cannot go one-way.' French counterterrorism prosecutors said three Algerian nationals in total were arrested last week and handed preliminary charges of 'kidnapping or arbitrary detention … in connection with a terrorist undertaking.' The group is allegedly involved in the April 2024 kidnapping of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, or Amir DZ, a known critic of the Algerian government with 1.1 million followers on TikTok. The Algerian foreign affairs ministry said the arrest of the consular official as part of the kidnapping case aimed to 'humiliate Algeria, with no consideration for the consular status of this agent, disregarding all diplomatic customs and practices, and in flagrant violation of the relevant conventions and treaties.' The latest surge in acrimony followed a brief easing of tensions about two weeks ago when French President Emmanuel Macron called Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune. French officials said at the time that they had agreed to revive bilateral relations.
