Algerian Prosecutor's Office has requested 10 years in prison for writer Sansal

In Algeria, the prosecutor asked the court to impose a 10-year prison sentence on the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. This was reported on March 20 by the newspaper Tout sur l'Algérie (TSA).

"A representative of the prosecutor's office has requested 10 years in prison for the writer, who has been in custody since mid-November. The verdict will be handed down next Thursday, March 27," the newspaper clarifies.

It is reported that earlier in his speeches in the press, the writer made statements that damage the "integrity of the national territory." He is also charged with "undermining national unity, insulting the constitutional body, actions that may damage the national economy, as well as storing videos and publications that threaten the security and stability of the country."

In October last year, in an interview with the French right-wing newspaper Frontières, Sansal expressed the opinion that during the colonial period France "cut the territory of Morocco in favor of Algeria." Upon his return to the country on November 16, he was arrested at the airport and taken into custody.

The AFP news agency notes that at the court hearing, the writer refused the services of a lawyer and defended himself in court on his own.

76-year-old Boualem Sansal was born in Algeria in the family of a native of Morocco. In 2024, he was able to obtain French citizenship, and after his arrest, France insists on his release.

In 2019, four billionaire brothers from the Kuninef family close to the ex-president were arrested in Algeria as part of a corruption case involving government bonds. The local authorities suspect the brothers Abdelkader, Karim, Tarek and Reda Kuninef of corruption, non-fulfillment of government contracts, using connections with high-ranking officials for commercial interests and obtaining benefits. The Kuninef family is closely linked to former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who ruled the country for about 20 years.