Faced with the arrest of the writer Boualem Sansal by the Algerian regime, lawyer Richard Malka denounces, in an interview with “Marianne”, an act of authoritarian weakness and an affront to freedom of expression. He calls for unanimous mobilization, particularly cultural, to defend fundamental principles and support free minds in the face of arbitrariness.
Lawyer and defender of freedom of expression, Richard Malka reacts vigorously to the arrest of the Algerian writer Boualem Sansal by the Algerian authorities. He analyzes this act as a direct attack on freedom of expression and a demonstration of the fragility of an authoritarian regime in search of absolute control.
According to the lawyer, indifference or weakness in such a situation would amount to betraying the fundamental principles of freedom and justice. Faced with this situation, he calls for concrete initiatives, such as that of the writer Jean-Christophe Rufin aiming to propose the election of Boualem Sansal to the French Academy.
Marianne : What is your first feeling about the arrest of this Franco-Algerian writer by the Algerian regime? Do you see this as an attack on freedom of expression, but also, perhaps, a test of French principles of freedom of expression?
Richard Malka : I'm devastated. I know Boualem Sansal, a great writer, of rare courage, a true fighter against Islamism. And that is precisely what he is accused of. Including in France, where certain pseudo-intellectuals, with unbearable contempt, say that it must be defended… but add a yes, but.
Ce more is miserable and hateful. Boualem Sansal is the victim of an obscurantist regime that is corrupt to the core, which does not hesitate to imprison a writer without reason, without trial, without duration. The mobilization is not up to par. This is a serious attack, not only on freedom of expression, but also on the most basic human right: not to be imprisoned by the actions of an autocrat or the good will of a tyrant.
READ ALSO: Writer Boualem Sansal imprisoned in Algeria
I deplore the silence of certain political actors, particularly on the left, where some are so quick to talk about freedom of expression when it comes to repealing the offense of glorifying terrorism. Perhaps they consider that fighting against Islamism for a writer of Arab culture justifies being left to his sad fate when he is locked up for no reason. This little music makes you nauseous.
Do you think that this arrest is also a kind of test posed to France and its principles by the Algerian regime?
Obviously. There is a clear diplomatic dimension here. Boualem Sansal is imprisoned for his opinions, nothing else. He did not attack, kill, or injure anyone. But these ideas disturb a totalitarian power. This is characteristic of the most abject regimes. There should be no debate: we should be unanimous in our support for Boualem Sansal, particularly in the world of culture. We must all be Boualem Sansal.
READ ALSO: “The text is repugnant”: LFI wants to repeal the offense of glorifying terrorism and angers even its allies PS
I found Jean-Christophe Rufin's idea of proposing his unanimous election to the French Academy very relevant. This type of initiative should be multiplied. If the left does not mobilize to defend the freedom of a man unjustly imprisoned on the grounds that he expressed Voltairean positions, then it no longer has any reason to exist.
The French government appears to have reacted, with Emmanuel Macron expressing his concern. What should France do, in your opinion, in such a thorny case, where an intellectual seems to be used as diplomatic leverage?
I am not diplomatic, but I hope that everything is done to obtain his release. Taking a man of letters hostage to put pressure on a state is monstrous. This illustrates the weakness of a regime incapable of demonstrating its strength other than by imprisoning free spirits. The loss of steam of an authoritarian and fragile Algerian regime.
READ ALSO: Arrest of Boualem Sansal, Kamel Daoud affair: between vindictiveness and defense of freedom, Algeria is torn apart
We see a dictatorial regime, in full decline, with only the weapon of fear remaining to hold its people. It treats its citizens like animals, locking them up for simply writing or saying something they don't like. It is an ultimate demonstration of weakness and arbitrariness.
This affair also seems linked to a rewriting of Algerian history, particularly regarding the Black Decade…
We must stand in solidarity with writers or journalists imprisoned for their writings, whether we like what they write or not. Their imprisonment or their slander (in the case of Kamel Daoud) represents an insult to civilization for which far too many have expressed a certain complacency because, for both, they are free writers who have refused any subpoena. identity.
Faced with a State that has become a denialist of its history, preferring to persecute intellectuals rather than confront the truths about its own heritage, only the greatest firmness is acceptable.
Related News :