Boualem Sansal recounts his year-long imprisonment in Algeria and his preference for a retrial

Writer Boualem Sansal, imprisoned for nearly a year in Algeria, was released on November 12, 2025, following German mediation. Accused of "undermining national unity," Sansal was sentenced to five years in July 2025. He expressed a preference for a retrial over a presidential pardon, stating he wanted to leave prison either dead or acquitted. Sansal's detention and subsequent pardon became a point of diplomatic tension between France and Algeria. He details his experience in a new book, "La légende," published on June 2, 2026.