Renowned French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal has been detained in Algeria on charges of attacking state security, his lawyer, François Zimeray, confirmed on Tuesday. Sansal, 75, was arrested on November 16 at Algiers airport after returning from France and has since been remanded in custody following questioning by anti-terror prosecutors.
Zimeray described the detention as a response to Sansal’s writings, accusing the Algerian authorities of targeting the author for his outspoken views against authoritarianism and Islamism.
Boualem Sansal, celebrated for his fearless critiques of extremism and advocacy for freedom of expression, is a prominent figure in francophone literature. His arrest has sparked widespread concern, with French publisher Gallimard, which has published his works for over 25 years, calling for his immediate release.
The international literary community, including Salman Rushdie and Orhan Pamuk, has also rallied to Sansal’s defence, signing a petition published in Le Point urging Algerian authorities to free him. The petition decried Algeria’s deteriorating climate for freedom of expression, describing it as a tragic and alarming reality.
Boualem Sansal began his literary career in 1999, focusing on themes such as Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s and the rise of extremism. His 2015 dystopian novel 2084: The End of the World, inspired by George Orwell’s 1984, won the Grand Prix du Roman from the French Academy.
The novelist’s outspoken views have made him a polarising figure, particularly following a visit to Israel in 2014, which intensified criticism of him in Algeria.
Sansal’s arrest comes as diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France heighten, following French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent reaffirmation of support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a position opposed by Algeria.
The case also unfolds as another French-Algerian writer, Kamel Daoud, faces controversy over allegations that his award-winning novel Houris used a woman’s personal story without consent.
