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The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution urging the release of writer Boualem Sansal, who has been imprisoned in Algeria since November, along with other critics of the Algerian government.
The resolution passed overwhelmingly with 533 votes in favor and 24 against, backed by lawmakers from five political groups, including conservatives, socialists, liberals, greens, and nationalists.
The text condemns the “arrest and detention of Boualem Sansal” and calls for his “immediate and unconditional release.” It also denounces the imprisonment of activists, journalists, and human rights defenders who were detained for exercising their right to free speech.
Sansal, 75, faces charges under Algeria’s Article 87 bis, which classifies actions perceived as threatening state security, unity, or stability as acts of terrorism or sabotage.
The resolution also calls on Algeria to revise repressive laws limiting freedoms and suggests future EU funding should depend on progress in upholding the rule of law and free expression.
Sansal’s case has added tension to already strained relations between France and Algeria. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Sansal’s “arbitrary detention,” describing him as “gravely ill.” Algeria responded by accusing France of “unacceptable interference in internal affairs.”
French media outlets reported that Algerian authorities were angered by Sansal’s recent remarks to a French far-right outlet, in which he supported Morocco’s stance that parts of its territory were ceded to Algeria during French colonial rule.
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