Appeal in Algeria against jail term for writer Sansal
Sansal is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of IslamistsSansal was arrested in November and stood trial for undermining Algeria's territorial integrityALGIERS: The prosecutor's office in Dar El Beida near Algiers has appealed against a five-year jail sentence imposed on French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, the Algiers bar association told local media.Sansal, whose case has been at the heart of a diplomatic storm with France, is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of Islamists.'Boualem Sansal and the prosecutor's office appealed the day before Eid Al-Fitr,' marking the end of the month of Ramadan, which was celebrated Monday in Algeria, said Mohamed Baghdadi, an article on the TSA website said.The writer's French lawyer Francois Zimeray told AFP on Wednesday that Sansal had appealed, but that this did not prevent him from being pardoned if the appeal was withdrawn.Sansal was arrested in November and stood trial for undermining Algeria's territorial integrity, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era.The statement echoed a long-standing Moroccan claim, and was viewed by Algeria as an affront to its national sovereignty.On March 27, a court in Dar El Beida sentenced him to a five-year prison term and fined him 500,000 Algerian dinars ($3,730).According to his French publisher, Sansal is 80 years old.On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to show 'mercy and humanity' toward Sansal.Baghdadi was quoted by TSA as saying that a pardon is 'only possible once the final sentence' is pronounced.'The case can be judged quickly' and a pardon granted afterwards, Baghdadi added, emphasising that Tebboune is 'sovereign in his decisions.'The date for the appeal has not yet been set, according to TSA.Sansal's conviction and sentence further frayed ties between Paris and Algiers, already strained by migration issues and Macron's recognition last year of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which is claimed by the Algeria-backed pro-independence Polisario Front.
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