The European Parliament Demands Algeria Immediately Release Writer Boualem Sansal
Europe has finally broken its complicit silence in the face of the oppression of the Algerian military regime. On Thursday, January 23, 2025, the European Parliament, in a rare show of unanimity, adopted a firm resolution demanding the immediate release of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, arbitrarily imprisoned since November 16, 2024.
Boualem Sansal, a courageous voice denouncing authoritarianism, has become a symbol of the silencing imposed by Algiers’ generals. His arbitrary detention highlights the brutality of a regime incapable of tolerating even the slightest criticism. Outraged by this persecution, the Members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted for his release (533 votes in favor, 24 against, 48 abstentions). The European Parliament reaffirmed that freedom of expression and fundamental rights are non-negotiable, unlike the hypocritical stance of the European Commission, entangled in its dependence on Algerian gas.
Systematic Human Rights Violations
The Sansal case is just the visible tip of a repressive iceberg. In Algeria, no fewer than 215 prisoners of conscience languish behind bars simply for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression. Independent media are silenced, journalists are hunted down and sentenced under false pretexts of national security threats. Even more outrageously, 47 Protestant churches have been shut down, revealing an unacceptable level of religious intolerance in a world aspiring to tolerance and respect for diversity.
The EU’s Complicity in Silence
Despite Article 2 of the EU-Algeria Association Agreement, which stipulates that respect for human rights is an essential clause, the European Commission prefers to remain silent. Confronted with odious repression, Brussels chooses to turn a blind eye to preserve its energy interests. Algeria, a strategic gas supplier amid the rupture with Russia, holds the EU hostage, rendering its proclaimed democratic values inaudible.
A Deceptive Trade Partnership
Beyond trampling on human rights, Algiers also sabotages its commercial commitments. The military regime has imposed severe obstacles on European businesses, including mandatory ALGEX certification and import bans. As a result, European exports to Algeria have plummeted, from €22.3 billion in 2015 to €14.9 billion in 2023. Yet, the EU responds only with timid diplomatic calls for “dialogue” that lead nowhere.
The Truth Must Be Told
It is time for Europe to wake up and stop treating this despotic regime with leniency. Gas cannot be the currency for fundamental freedoms. The Boualem Sansal case is a litmus test for the EU’s honor: between the values it claims to defend and its economic interests, the time has come to choose.
By Abderrazak Bousaïd
