Five minutes of lament over Algeria: Amar Belani exposes CNEWS’s real obsession Copy link

Algeria Gate: Thirty-three years after the last execution, the Criminal Court of the Algiers Court of Appeal has issued the first death sentences under Law No. 25-03 of 1 July 2025 on the prevention of drugs and psychotropic substances and the repression of their illicit use and trafficking.

Nine defendants were sentenced, three in their presence and six in absentia, in a case involving the seizure of 113 kilograms of cocaine and 225,030 pregabalin tablets. The charges include organised importation, transport, storage and trafficking of hard drugs and psychotropic substances with the intent to harm national security and public order, as well as smuggling. Related charges of identity theft, illegal migration, illegal residence and money laundering were also retained.

These rulings rank among the first major judicial applications of the new legislation, particularly its provisions targeting organised trafficking and smuggling.

Algeria Gate: The sequence is unlikely to please those in France who view Algeria solely through the prism of authoritarianism. Invited on France Inter, Ségolène Royal refused to label the Algerian regime “authoritarian,” redirected the discussion toward French realities and called for a reset with Algiers.

Pressed repeatedly by journalist Benjamin Duhamel, she replied: “No, I cannot say that… It is up to the Algerian people to define themselves.” She acknowledged certain problems in Algeria but rejected a blanket characterisation, contrasting with much of the French media’s persistently negative framing.

Turning the mirror on France, she asked: “And France… what is France?” citing recent tensions around school protests and police interventions. France, she noted, also faces its own problems; it is difficult under those conditions to act as permanent judge of others.

On the cases of Boualem Sansal and French journalist Christophe Gleizes, she maintained her refusal to describe the regime as authoritarian and criticised the detention of an Algerian consular agent by France as unwise. Challenging the systematically negative image of Algeria, she asked whether the Pope would have visited the country if it were as portrayed, and whether the violence seen in the streets of Paris itself is not “barbaric.”

Beyond the controversy, Royal advocated a pragmatic approach: restoring diplomatic relations would be “intelligent,” particularly to strengthen energy cooperation and allow France access to Algerian gas. She also highlighted green hydrogen and urged Europeans to work more closely with their Maghreb neighbours and Africa more broadly; a discourse that stands in clear contrast to the moralising tone of certain French commentators.

Algeria Gate: The remains of the late Boualem Boualem, former Director of the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic, arrived at Algiers international airport.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and several senior state officials were present in the airport’s VIP lounge to receive the body. The Head of State paid his respects before the coffin and offered his condolences to the family, in tribute to a man who held major responsibilities within the Presidency.

The ceremony took place in an atmosphere of solemnity, with high-ranking officials gathering to pay a final homage to the deceased.