This Tuesday, May 6, the National Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the immediate release of Boualem Sansal, a writer emblematic of the fight for freedom of expression in Algeria. Despite massive support from Renaissance, LR, RN, PS, and ecologist deputies, the members of La France Insoumise voted against it. However, they thus distinguished themselves from other parties. This choice, minority but resounding, triggered strong political and media reactions.
Boualem Sansal, aged 80, is a Franco-Algerian novelist renowned for his sharp portrayals of an Algerian society torn between modernity and conservatism. Since November 2024, he has been incarcerated in Algiers. There, he is serving a five-year prison sentence for "undermining national unity" and "insulting a constituted body." Thus, his arrest sparked a wave of indignation among intellectuals and human rights organizations.
The position of La France Insoumise denounced
During the debates, Nathalie Oziol and Éric Coquerel, spokespersons for La France Insoumise, expressed strong reservations. According to them, the resolution "instrumentalizes" the Sansal case to rekindle diplomatic tensions between Paris and Algiers. However, their amendments aimed at restricting the text to a purely humanitarian demand were dismissed by the majority.
Moreover, LFI claims that the text challenges the principle of non-interference in diplomacy. Indeed, it conditions cooperation on political progress in Algeria. Thus, the party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon chose to vote against, claiming a stance of "international coherence."
Adoption despite tensions
The deputy Constance Le Grip (Renaissance), author of the resolution, defended a "clear and unambiguous" text. For her, the fate of Sansal embodies a universal cause: that of freedom of expression and the defense of the Francophonie. Thus, beyond partisan divides, several parliamentary groups hailed a "necessary" initiative.
Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, described LFI‘s attitude as "shameful." For his part, Gabriel Attal denounced "a moral fracture" in the chamber. Thus, throughout the interventions, the Sansal affair became a broader symptom of the ideological tensions crossing the French left.
Diplomatic stakes in the background
Historically, relations between France and Algeria oscillate between détente and tensions, against a backdrop of still vivid colonial memory. Thus, any official statement in Algiers is politically interpreted. Moreover, in a context where the Élysée seeks to ease bilateral relations, this resolution risks being perceived as a provocation.
Boualem Sansal, through his strong positions against authoritarian excesses and political Islamism, embodies an ambiguous figure in Algeria. His works, such as Le village de l’Allemand or 2084: The End of the World, paint uncompromising pictures of repressive societies. Thus, his commitment earns him as many admirers as adversaries.
Mobilization beyond Parliament
At the end of March, an unprecedented citizen mobilization brought together several hundred people in front of the National Assembly. Among them, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérard Larcher, respective presidents of the Assembly and the Senate, showed their unequivocal support.
Moreover, voices from the cultural world, like Leïla Slimani or Rachid Boudjedra, have risen to remind the importance of protecting dissidents in authoritarian regimes. Thus, beyond the Sansal case, it is the state of freedom of expression in the Mediterranean that is in question.
A highly symbolic affair
The Boualem Sansal affair reveals a political divide on how to defend human rights without compromising diplomatic balance. Thus, the National Assembly sent a strong message in favor of freedom. However, the debate on political instrumentalization persists.
In an era marked by the retreat of freedoms and the rise of international tensions, the question is pressing. How to support free voices without fueling discord?