Over 100 International Intellectuals, Including Four Nobel Prize Winners, Condemn Algerian Regime’s Stifling of Free Speech
More than 100 prominent intellectuals and writers worldwide, including four Nobel laureates, have condemned the detention of Algerian author Boualem Sansal and demanded his immediate release. Mr. Sansal, 75, was arrested at Algiers airport on November 16th.
The signatories, including Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Orhan Pamuk, and Wole Soyinka, denounce the Algerian government’s escalating crackdown on freedom of expression. They characterize Mr. Sansal’s detention as a blatant violation of human rights and a stark example of the regime’s repression of intellectual freedom. The statement criticizes what it calls “editorial terrorism,” where writers and publishers face surveillance, arbitrary arrests, and politically motivated prosecutions.
A support committee, initiated by La Revue Politique et Parlementaire and chaired by Catherine Camus, daughter of the illustrious Albert Camus, has mobilized on Mr. Sansal’s behalf. The committee features a diverse lineup of influential voices, including former French Prime Ministers Edouard Philippe and Manuel Valls, former government ministers Luc Ferry and Arnaud Montebourg, former First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and Goncourt Prize winner Kamel Daoud. This effort complements the campaign launched by Le Point, which includes Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Orhan Pamuk, and Wole Soyinka among its signatories.
The list of the full supporters can be found on La Revue Politique et Parlementaire website.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of this blatant attack on literary freedom,” the petition states, condemning the “climate of fear and repression” in Algeria. The international pressure comes amid growing concerns about Mr. Sansal’s health and well-being in detention. Human rights organizations say his arrest mirrors a broader pattern of authoritarian suppression targeting independent voices in Algeria, including Khaled Drareni, Ihsane el Kadi, and a kidnapping attempt in Spain on Hichem Aboud.
