Khaberni - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier appealed to his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to pardon the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who has been imprisoned for about a year for "undermining national unity".
Steinmeier's office stated in a release that the German president "requested Tebboune to release Sansal as a humanitarian gesture," adding that he "offered to transfer him to Germany to receive medical care due to his advanced age and fragile health condition."
Steinmeier clarified in his statement that pardoning writer Sansal "would embody the spirit of humanity and the foresight of political vision," and at the same time reflect "the depth of bilateral relations and the personal friendship ties that he has with President Tebboune."
It should be noted that Boualem Sansal, 80 years old, was arrested in November 2024 upon his arrival at Algiers airport.
In March 2025, he was sentenced to "five years in prison on charges related to undermining the national territorial integrity," following previous statements in which he mentioned that "cities in Western Algeria historically were part of Morocco like Tlemcen, Oran, and Mascara."
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described Sansal as "a thief of unknown identity and father," accusing him of trying to make Algerians doubt the unity of their homeland's territory.
