In a surprise move, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has granted French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal a humanitarian pardon. The 81-year-old novelist had been sentenced to five years in prison on November 16 for comments deemed harmful to national unity.
Sansal's release came after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Algeria to free him, saying the Algerian president "decided to respond positively" to his request. Germany will be responsible for Sansal's transfer and treatment, given that he suffers from prostate cancer.
The pardon has been met with relief by Sansal's family, including his daughter Sabeha Sansal, who expressed her gratitude in a phone call from the Czech Republic. "I was a little pessimistic because he is sick, he is old, and he could have died there," she said. "I hope we will see each other soon."
Sansal has been a vocal critic of Algerian authorities as well as Islamists, and his arrest in November sparked a diplomatic rift with France. The author's comments were seen as an affront to Algeria's national sovereignty, particularly given the country's long-standing dispute over Western Sahara.
The case has become entangled in the crisis between Paris and Algiers, which has led to tensions, expulsions of officials, recall of ambassadors, and restrictions on diplomatic visas. France had called on Tebboune to show "mercy and humanity" by releasing Sansal prior to the pardon.
Sansal's release is seen as a rare gesture of goodwill between Germany and Algeria. The German president thanked Tebboune for the "humanitarian gesture", which "demonstrates the quality of relations and trust between our two countries".
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his gratitude for the pardon, thanking Steinmeier for Germany's good offices in securing Sansal's release. Macron had previously called on Tebboune to show mercy towards Sansal.
Sansal is known for his prize-winning work in North African modern francophone literature and was granted French nationality last year. His case has become a cause celebre in France, but his past support for Israel and controversy surrounding his writings have made him unpopular in Algeria.
Sansal's release came after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Algeria to free him, saying the Algerian president "decided to respond positively" to his request. Germany will be responsible for Sansal's transfer and treatment, given that he suffers from prostate cancer.
The pardon has been met with relief by Sansal's family, including his daughter Sabeha Sansal, who expressed her gratitude in a phone call from the Czech Republic. "I was a little pessimistic because he is sick, he is old, and he could have died there," she said. "I hope we will see each other soon."
Sansal has been a vocal critic of Algerian authorities as well as Islamists, and his arrest in November sparked a diplomatic rift with France. The author's comments were seen as an affront to Algeria's national sovereignty, particularly given the country's long-standing dispute over Western Sahara.
The case has become entangled in the crisis between Paris and Algiers, which has led to tensions, expulsions of officials, recall of ambassadors, and restrictions on diplomatic visas. France had called on Tebboune to show "mercy and humanity" by releasing Sansal prior to the pardon.
Sansal's release is seen as a rare gesture of goodwill between Germany and Algeria. The German president thanked Tebboune for the "humanitarian gesture", which "demonstrates the quality of relations and trust between our two countries".
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his gratitude for the pardon, thanking Steinmeier for Germany's good offices in securing Sansal's release. Macron had previously called on Tebboune to show mercy towards Sansal.
Sansal is known for his prize-winning work in North African modern francophone literature and was granted French nationality last year. His case has become a cause celebre in France, but his past support for Israel and controversy surrounding his writings have made him unpopular in Algeria.
I think this pardon is like, super generous from Tebboune's side, especially considering how Sansal spoke out against Algeria's gov't & Islamists... but at the same time, it's also a bummer that he was even imprisoned in the first place 
. I feel bad for his daughter who had to deal with this stress. The fact that Germany is taking care of him now shows they're willing to help out when things get tough between countries 
. And btw, Sansal's writing career has been super impacted by all this - it's a shame he won't be able to show off his work in Algeria for a while 
it's crazy how things escalated between paris and algiers over one guy's comments 
sansal's case was already super complicated with the western sahara dispute and all, but i guess good on germany for stepping in 
the fact that france and germany are working together on this is a great sign of improved relations 
and let's be real, france is just happy to have one of their writers back home 
sansal's family must be over the moon with relief too 
it's not often you see someone get pardoned for speaking truth to power 
. The fact that France had been calling on Tebboune to be more merciful is a good sign 
. It's not often you see leaders showing mercy in these kinds of situations, so this is definitely a positive development 
.
he's already 81 years old, what if they didn't grant him a pardon? 
it's amazing that Germany stepped in and offered their help, and now he gets to go back to his family 
germany is doing such a great job of showing kindness and compassion towards sansal 
. It shows that even when we disagree with someone's views, we can still be human about it and show compassion 
. Sansal was arrested because his words were deemed too strong, but he didn't back down 
So, I guess the lesson here is that standing up for our convictions doesn't have to mean being aggressive or hurtful 
.
. Five years is a long time to be behind bars, especially considering he's 81 and has prostate cancer 
.
. It's a bit weird how his comments were seen as harming national unity, but at the same time, France and Germany coming together to push for his release shows there are still some good people involved 
.
. Anyways, I guess this is one way to mend bridges between Germany and Algeria 
I'm not buying it. And what's up with this "humanitarian gesture" business? Is Steinmeier getting some kind of reward for playing diplomat? It smells fishy to me, man...
. i think it's awesome that germany stepped in and helped secure his release, especially with steinmeier's involvement 
.
... Still, this pardon is a positive step towards better relations between Paris and Algiers 
I'm so glad to hear that Boualem Sansal is finally free 
! He's been through some really tough times, especially with the health issues he's got going on 
. It's amazing how Germany stepped up and helped secure his release – it's a great example of international diplomacy in action 
. I've gotta admit, I was a bit worried about him when I heard he'd been sentenced to prison, but thankfully the president saw fit to grant him a pardon 
. The fact that Germany stepped in and helped get him released is pretty cool 
. Still, I guess it's a nice move on Tebboune's part, even if it is a bit late in the game 
. Germany coming to the rescue with Frank-Walter Steinmeier's intervention was a huge help 
. I think it's worth remembering that freedom of speech is important, even if opinions might not be universally popular 
.
, but I think this pardon is a good sign that Germany can help smooth things over 
.
? anywayz, i think its good move by president tebboune coz sansal is 81 and has prostate cancer, that's just nasty 
. germany's role in securing his release is also a big win for both countries, shows they can work together even with diff views