3 December 2024

Freedom for Boualem Sansal
The Algerian-French writer faces charges of high treason

Boualem Sansal, winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (Le Serment des barbares, 1999; Abraham ou La cinquième alliance, 2024), was arrested at Algiers airport on November 16th, 2024. The presumed reason for his arrest is the Algerian government's accusation that he questioned the political borders of Algiers – in view of the conflict with Morocco over the Western Sahara. The consequence of a conviction could be a life sentence.
The award-winning author has repeatedly analysed power relations and the role of religions in a precise and merciless way. As a critic of the Algerian regime and of Islamism, Boualem Sansal has in his books and in talks courageously expressed his opinions over and over.
The Akademie der Künste urgently calls on the German Government to do everything in its power to ensure that the arbitrary legal treatment of Boualem Sansal is ended and that he is immediately released from prison.

Manos Tsangaris
President of the Akademie der Künste