In response to an Algerian appeals court upholding the five-year prison sentence for acclaimed French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, PEN America issued the following statement:
“The Algerian government’s continued imprisonment of Boualem Sansal—an elderly, ill writer who is being punished for his ideas and expression—is both incomprehensible and unconscionable,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of PEN America’s Writers at Risk program. “We renew our call for his immediate and unconditional release and urge the authorities to let him return to his family before it is too late.”
Sansal was arrested upon his return from France in November 2024 on charges related to “harming the unity of the state,” a vague offense often used to silence dissenting voices, and has been in detention ever since. In March 2025, Sansal was handed a five-year prison sentence for expressing his views.
While his publisherAntoine Gallimard has reported that Sansal is in good spirits and being treated well, PEN America remains deeply concerned for his health. Given his advanced age and medical condition, the risk that he may not survive his sentence is real and urgent.
PEN America calls on the Algerian authorities to reverse this sentence and to uphold the basic right to free expression.
Read our previous statements on Boualem Sansal.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.