The announcement of a presidential pardon for Boualem Sansal has stirred surprise, debate, and indignation across Algeria. The Franco-Algerian writer, sentenced to five years in prison for statements deemed harmful to national unity, will be transferred to Germany for medical treatment at the express request of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. While the gesture appears rooted in humanitarian considerations, it in fact unveils a complex diplomatic web where principles of sovereignty, European power balances, and political calculations intersect. A Humanitarian Gesture with Multiple Diplomatic Readings Officially, the presidential decision is framed as a “humanitarian” response to a German request. Boualem Sansal, elderly and in poor health, would thus benefit from a medical transfer in a spirit of clemency and openness. Yet seasoned observers know that behind this façade lies a far subtler game of influence. For months, Paris had sought Sansal’s release, multiplying diplomatic and ...
Algeria, the Mecca of revolutionaries, has always defended just causes; its positions have today earned it the hostility of certain parties. The purpose of this blog is to defend Algeria and to deconstruct the lies that harm the image of our beautiful motherland.