Algeria sentences writer Boualem Sansal in France-Morocco dispute

A French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, caught in an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Algiers and Paris, was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for undermining Algeria's territorial integrity. 

He allegedly supported Morocco’s claim that Algeria’s land was taken during French colonization. 

The Dar El Beida court near Algiers also fined him close to 4000 dollars. The prosecutor had previously requested a 10-year sentence for the 80-year-old writer. 

The verdict comes amid rising tensions between Algeria and France, described as the worst in decades. Sansal's arrest in November worsened relations, especially after French President Macron supported Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. 

French lawyer François Zimeray urged Algerian President Tebboune to show humanity, noting Sansal’s age and health. 

Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front’s independence claims over Western Sahara, recalled its ambassador from France after Macron’s stance. The move deepened Algeria’s tensions with Morocco, with diplomatic ties severed since 2021. 

Despite lingering tensions since Algeria wrested independence from France in a bloody war more than 60 years ago, the countries have cooperated on issues such as security, migration and trade. 

But relations have deteriorated under French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. 

 Macron has accused Algeria’s military-led government of using “hatred of France” as a central governing principle. Last year Macron enraged Algeria by shifting France's position to back Morocco's plan for the disputed Western Sahara, offering the disputed territory limited autonomy rather than independence or the referendum on self-determination that Algeria and the pro-independence Polisario Front have long demanded.