In Paris where his wife lives, concern continues to grow in those around Boualem Sansal. Disappeared without giving any news since his departure for Algiers last Saturday, the famous Franco-Algerian novelist and essayist, aged 75, was reportedly arrested upon his arrival in his native country, learns Le360confirming the information collected by several French media.
Thus, reveals Le Figaro«Boualem Sansal would have taken off from Paris last Saturday in the company of a French or Franco-Algerian journalist whose identity is not confirmed“. And the French media explains that “this one would not have given any news since their landing either“, citing sources who claim that the two men “were reportedly arrested at Algiers airport and (that) their cell phones no longer respond, presumably disconnected».
Censored in Algeria for his critical writings against the regime in place, Boualem Sansal, who recently obtained French nationality and resides mainly in France due to his wife’s health problems, continued to travel regularly to Algeria, where he lives in Boumerdès, 45 kilometers from Algiers. However, other sources from the newspaper Le Figaro also announce that “his house in Boumerdès remains closed, door and shutters closed».
Boualem Sansal’s book too many?
Until now, despite the hatred that the powers in power harbor towards him, Boualem Sansal has never been incarcerated. Has his latest book rekindled the hatred of the Algerian authorities towards him? There is no doubt about this, because in “The Frenchman, let’s talk about it!”» (editions du Cerf), the writer and former senior official in industry in Algeria does not fail to mention his country, drawing a parallel between the current situation of France and that of Algeria before the civil war of the 1990s, known as the black decade . A part of the country’s history that it is forbidden to talk about in Algeria under penalty of imprisonment.
Read also: Boualem Sansal: “When France colonized Algeria, the entire western part of Algeria was part of Morocco”
Guest of the French show “Frontières», a month ago, on the occasion of the release of his book, the essayist did not mince his words and firmly supported his usual position, considering that Algeria owes a lot to France, and not the other way around, and describing “Soviet-style ideological power» the regime in place, which draws its legitimacy from the people by “inventing an enemy“. During this same exchange, the writer spoke at length about Morocco, the oldest monarchy in the world, he emphasized, before tackling another taboo subject in Algeria, that of borders. “When France colonized Algeria, the entire western part of Algeria was part of Morocco: Tlemcen, Oran and even as far as Mascara», he insisted then, certainly causing an earthquake in Algeria where the Moroccanness of the Eastern Sahara throughout history is another taboo subject.
Could these positions have caused his arrest? Jean-François Colosimo, editor of his latest book, says “more than worried”, emphasizes in this regard Le Figaro. At present, there is no doubt that in the country of generals, we can no longer tolerate the slightest dissent, even if it means frankly and officially falling into dictatorship. Being the subject of strong criticism within its own population and its nationals abroad, the regime in power now seems determined to lead a merciless hunt against all those who do not keep pace, start with the country’s intelligentsia, its most precious gray matter.
Cheb Khaled, Kamel Daoud & Co… the voices of dissent
The manhunt began a few weeks ago with the legal proceedings brought against Cheb Khaled by the Algerian justice system for his alleged involvement in an incredible espionage affair (unsurprisingly) for the benefit of Morocco. Revealed on October 20 by journalist Abdou Semmar, director of the media Algériepart, also exiled from his country because of his critical positions, this pseudo affair would in reality be motivated by a very specific thing, hatred of Morocco. Indeed, continued the investigative journalist, the only plausible reason for these far-fetched accusations is to be found in the Moroccan nationality that Cheb Khaled acquired in 2013 by royal decree, something which earned him the wrath of the Algerian regime, and President Tebboune, to the point of becoming persona non grata in his country.
Read also: Unusual. Algerian justice prosecutes Cheb Khaled for espionage for Morocco
Another victim of this regime, the writer Kamel Daoud, freshly crowned with the Prix Goncourt for his latest novel “Houris»published by Gallimard editions. By tackling a subject forbidden in Algeria, the black decade, the writer has been a victim since the publication of his book of “violent defamatory campaigns”, reveals its publisher, orchestrated from Algeria. Rather than welcoming the nomination for the first time at Goncourt of an Algerian author, Algeria preferred to launch legal proceedings against him. The writer is now the subject of two complaints, one from an alleged victim of terrorism who accused him, from a television set in Algeria, of having revealed his story in the novel without her authorization, and the second coming from the National Organization of Victims of Terrorism.
Complaints that Kamel Daoud, banned from publishing in Algeria, was already considering, because on the first page of his book, he inserted article 46 in the preamble of the charter for peace and national reconciliation, which stipulates in particular that “is punishable by imprisonment of three (3) years to five (5) years and a fine of 250,000 DA to 500,000 DA, anyone who, by his declarations, writings or any other act, uses or instrumentalizes the injuries of the national tragedy, to undermine the institutions of the democratic and popular Algerian Republic, weaken the State, harm the honor of its agents who have worthily served it, or tarnish the image of Algeria on the international level».
Read also: Literary post KS. Ep 19. “Houris”, by Kamel Daoud, or Algerian hell
Has Boualem Sansal, a fervent supporter of Kamel Daoud, fallen foul of this law? For now, announcement Le Figaro«if the writer is detained by the Algerian Sûreté, as those close to him suspect, the Élysée and the Quai d’Orsay should not fail to ask the Algerian government for explanations».
Who will be next on the list? Perhaps the rapper Lotfi Double Kanon, if he ever dared to set foot on the land of his native land where he no longer resides for lack of being able to express himself there. This other pet peeve of the Algiers regime has just released a new rap song, “Ammi Tebboune”, in which he denounces the mafia in power and cries out for the suffering of youth. Bad luck for the regime in place, the title is not only excellent, but it is unsurprisingly a hit on YouTube with more than 4 million views since its release on November 11 on the platform.
