Disappearance of Boualem Sansal: France must mobilize – Licra

Press release, November 21, 2024

We have not heard from Boualem Sansal for almost a week. A rumor, not (yet) official, but unfortunately very likely, states that he was arrested by the Algerian police on Saturday November 16 when he got off the plane and immediately imprisoned.

Licra calls on the French authorities to mobilize without waiting for the information to be proven if it must be, as the danger is immense. The writer, all of whose books are banned in Algeria, has constantly expressed, with courage that commands admiration, the sharpest criticisms of all religions – and in particular Islam -, Algerian regime, the corruption and obsessive anti-Semitism which reign in this country, the atrocities committed by the Islamists… What we know about the brutality of the Algerian regime gives rise to the deepest concerns as to the fate which could be reserved for him.

Let us remember that Boualem Sansal obtained French nationality this year: he is therefore not only a very great writer (his works have won numerous literary prizes, from Barbarian Oath (First novel prize) up to 2084 (Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française) via The German Village) and one of the moral consciences of our time which is threatened, he is also one of our most eminent fellow citizens. We also know that his wife, seriously ill, is currently hospitalized in France.

To (re)read, the interview with Boualem Sansal in The Right to Live : “I denounce religions when they claim to govern the city. » (February 13, 2022).