Algeria Gate: Boualem Sansal is once again placing his time in prison in Algeria at the centre of current events. In his book “La Légende,” the writer presents his arrest in a particularly serious light, going so far as to speak of a form of “deportation” and to attribute an antisemitic dimension to it.
This claim nevertheless requires an essential distinction between the writer’s personal account and the judicial grounds for his arrest.
Sansal was not convicted by the Algerian courts for his religion or because he is Jewish. Arrested in November 2024, he was sentenced in March 2025 to five years in prison, notably for undermining national unity, following controversial statements concerning the borders of Algeria and Morocco. This sentence was later upheld on appeal. For his part, Sansal contested the proceedings and invoked his freedom of expression.
From judicial file to political narrative
It is therefore after the facts that Sansal gives his incarceration an interpretation linked to antisemitism. For an Algerian reader, the central question is simple: this interpretation must not be confused with what actually appears in the judicial file.
The case had moreover taken on a significant diplomatic dimension between Algiers and Paris. In November 2025, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune finally granted a pardon to the writer following an official request from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, presented on humanitarian grounds.
With “La Légende,” Boualem Sansal now offers his own reading of this period. But between a formula designed to strike minds and the facts established by the procedure, the difference remains fundamental: the publicly reported charges concerned his statements and national unity, not his religious affiliation.
