Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, imprisoned in Algeria since mid-November, has started a hunger strike in response to pressure exerted against him. Deprived of his lawyer and medical care, his deteriorating health is raising serious concerns.
Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, imprisoned in Algeria since mid-November, began a hunger strike on Monday, his lawyer told AFP on Sunday, citing information from a judicial source.
"I fear for his health, as well as for the possibility of a fair trial," said François Zimeray, the writer’s French lawyer, confirming a report by Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD).
According to Zimeray, who was denied a visa to travel to Algeria to see his client, Sansal took this step "due to the pressure exerted on him to change his lawyer."
"Neither the measured tone of his defense, nor my restraint in responding to the vile media campaign against me in Algeria, nor my respect for the country’s judicial system seem to have been acknowledged by a regime that continues to deny me a visa without valid reason, depriving Boualem Sansal of the legal representation of his choice," the lawyer insisted.
He also revealed that Sansal’s medical treatment has been suspended, despite reports that the writer is suffering from cancer.
Sansal is being prosecuted under Article 87 bis of Algeria’s Penal Code, which classifies as "terrorist or subversive" any act that threatens state security, territorial integrity, stability, or the proper functioning of institutions.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, Algerian authorities reacted negatively to statements Sansal made to the far-right French media outlet Frontières, where he echoed Morocco’s position that the country’s territorial borders had been altered during French colonization in favor of Algeria.
His imprisonment has sparked protests from numerous intellectuals and writers, who denounce the charges as baseless.
For years, Boualem Sansal claimed to have been born in 1949, making him 75 today. However, his publisher Antoine Gallimard stated in December that he was actually born in 1944, meaning he is now 80 years old.
With AFP
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