French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal is under arrest warrant in a prison unit of a hospital in Algiers and has appealed his detention, his lawyer said in a press release on Wednesday.
“Today he was able to speak freely with Algerian lawyers working as a team with his French defender. His general state of health is being monitored and he did not complain of ill-treatment during his police detention,” François Zimeray said in a statement. Press release.
His defense appealed his arrest and the prosecution chamber has 21 days to examine the appeal, he adds.
“Unacceptable” detention
The Franco-Algerian writer, who has criticized the Algerian leaders on numerous occasions, was arrested in mid-November when he arrived in his native country from France. According to his defense, he was detained under an article of the Algerian penal code that punishes attacks on state security.
“We will endeavor to prepare a defense while ensuring that the political dimension of the case is eliminated to the extent possible,” Zimeray said in the press release.
The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Wednesday described the writer’s “unfounded arrest” as “unacceptable.”
Source: BFM TV
