French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who has been detained in Algeria since mid-November, has begun a hunger strike to protest what he described as pressure to replace his Jewish lawyer, according to a report by the French newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday.
The 80-year-old writer is currently being held in a cell at Mustapha Pacha Hospital in Algiers. He is charged under Article 87 bis of Algeria’s Penal Code, which criminalizes “any act that threatens state security” or “territorial integrity.”
Citing sources described as “close to the matter,” Le Figaro reported that on February 17, Sansal was visited by individuals urging him to appoint a “non-Jewish French lawyer,” claiming that such a move could improve his legal situation in Algeria.
Sansal’s lawyer told the newspaper that his client has been denied contact with his family and has no access to his case file, leaving him hopeless about receiving a fair trial. His decision to go on hunger strike was further fueled by the suspension of his medical treatment at the hospital.
Expressing deep concern over his client’s condition, Sansal’s lawyer warned that continuing the hunger strike could seriously deteriorate his health.
This development comes after an Algerian appeals court rejected a request for Sansal’s release in mid-December. The charges against him stem from his statements regarding the Moroccan Sahara, in which he asserted that “the western region of Algeria, including Tlemcen and Oran, was part of the Kingdom of Morocco before French colonization.”
Sansal’s hunger strike adds to mounting pressure on Algerian authorities. In France, a support committee for the writer has called on President Emmanuel Macron to intervene and press Algeria for his release. The committee also suggested that France reconsider the visa privileges granted to Algerians under the December 27, 1968 agreement.
These latest developments place the Algerian government in a difficult position on the international stage, particularly as Sansal’s deteriorating health could intensify human rights and political demands for his release in the coming weeks.
