The International Publishers Association (IPA) has called the continuing detention of the Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal’s an “afront to freedom of expression”.
This week a court in Algeria upheld Sansal’s five-year prison sentence. The author was charged in March under Algeria’s anti-terrorism laws and convicted of “undermining national unity”.
Kristenn Einarsson, Chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee said: “The IPA is disappointed to learn that Boualem Sansal’s five-year prison sentence has been upheld by the Court of Appeal. This is an affront to a literary ambassador of Algeria and to the freedom of expression. We continue to urge the Algerian authorities to secure his release.”
His case has sparked a wave of support from intellectuals and politicians, including Nigerian Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka, Indian-British novelist Salman Rushdie and French officials.
BBC News reports: ‘Sansal is well known for his anti-Islamist views and is an outspoken critic of the Algerian government.’
The issue arose last year when, in an interview with a French right-wing media outlet, Sansal questioned Algeria’s current borders, arguing that France had redrawn them during the colonial period to include lands that once belonged to Morocco. The 80-year-old dual citizen was arrested the following month and later lambasted by the president in a speech to Algeria’s parliament.