Ambassador François Zimeray on the Arbitrary Detention of Boualem Sansal

Boualem Sansal, a French Algerian author arbitrarily detained in Algeria, has long criticized political Islam and state-sponsored antisemitism in the country. For years, the Algerian regime harassed him for his activism, including a courageous visit to Israel. Since his November 2024 arrest, which has drawn widespread international condemnation, Sansal’s situation has worsened. He has been held in inhumane conditions and fallen gravely ill.

François Zimeray, an international human rights lawyer and former French ambassador for human rights, is Sansal’s legal counsel. But Algeria has repeatedly denied Ambassador Zimeray entry into the country and targeted him in an antisemitic smear campaign.

With Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Ambassador Zimeray will examine the legal, political, and strategic implications of Sansal’s detention and what it reveals about freedom of expression under authoritarian regimes.