« NWe are at the service of a single objective: to get a man out of the dungeon where he was thrown in a completely arbitrary manner. » It is with these words that Arnaud Benedetti, editor-in-chief of Political and parliamentary review and founder of the International Support Committee for Boualem Sansal, opened this Monday, December 16, at the Théâtre Libre in Paris, the “Great evening of support” for the writer detained since November 16 by Algeria.
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One month to the day before the evening, of which The Point was a partner, the Franco-Algerian man of letters was indicted and imprisoned by Algiers, for his critical positions vis-à-vis the regime, on the grounds of “endangering state security”. “To their farce,” insisted the instigator of the evening, “we must respond with our unity of action and determination. »
In front of a packed room of a thousand people, where the writer’s photographs adorn the scene – gentle smile, thin glasses and white hair tied back -, intellectuals and politicians took turns calling throughout this evening for liberation of the novelist, and recall the intangible principles of freedom of conscience and expression. Kamel Daoud, also a Franco-Algerian writer and the subject of a defamation campaign orchestrated by the regime since his 2024 Goncourt Prize, came to “give a name to freedom and oppression” and link his fate to that of everyone of us.
“We are here to challenge interpretations, to recall the injustice of his fate […] We are here not to give up. Sansal is in jail for an opinion. If we give in on the freedom of a writer, we will give in on our freedom to imagine, and one day Sansal’s prison will be ours, so let’s free him! » insisted the author ofHouristo the loud applause of the supporters of the writer deprived of his liberty.
“We cannot tolerate that a critical voice can be subject to such judicial arbitrariness,” also argued Antoine Gallimard, his friend and publisher since 1999. Before taking the opportunity of this evening of support to inform the audience about the state of health of the author aged 80.
Boualem Sansal “is not doing well”
“We learned very recently, this morning, that at his request, he was once again placed in a prison care unit. What can we understand? In any case, they [les responsables encadrant sa détention, NDLR] understood that his health is fragile and that his disappearance would be very serious, for them too,” explained the publisher.
Boualem Sansal, who risks life imprisonment, is “a man who is not doing well”, supported his lawyer in France, Me François Zimeray, launching an “appeal to the Algerian authorities, to simply show humanity in this matter”, while urging the author to “hold on”. “We don’t know how long this nightmare will last, but we know that until Boualem Sansal comes out, we will be by his side. »
Demonstrations and strong support can be decisive, insisted Xavier Driencourt, former ambassador to Algeria, who still saw the writer in Paris, the day before his arrest on the tarmac of Algiers airport. “Algeria does not like to be singled out by international authorities,” insisted the diplomat, during a round table following the poignant reading of the author’s texts. “Through the arrest of Boualem Sansal, it is he who is taken hostage, but also France and what Boualem Sansal represents as a writer, free to think, write and publish in France, [quand il en est] banned in Algeria,” he recalled. “Let’s not let him down. »
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A call chanted and repeated throughout the evening. That Sansal’s supporters would like to hear more. “It all seems pretty obvious. […] but things are shaking, all the same, a little bit in France,” underlined Étienne Gernelle, director of Pointquestioning the most silent about the fate of the writer. “In the political-media world, not everyone is very enthusiastic, some seem to be a little afraid. There aren’t many of us on this one, not as many as we would like to be. » An observation shared by Noëlle Lenoir, lawyer and former minister, who was responsible for closing this evening of support: “We are all Boualem Sansal! »
Reminding, if necessary, that “a novelist does not harm the security of the State” and that “freedom of expression is Man’s most precious asset”, the senior civil servant, concerned to end this event on a note of hope – and promising other actions to come – concluded in these terms: “This is a first step to continue the fight […] Contrary to what people would have us believe, all the criticism, slander and slander uttered by some strengthen our determination. The truth is on the move and nothing can stop it. This is what is sealed tonight. »
