Algeria Sentences French Sports Journalist to Seven Years in Prison

1 July 2025
Committee to Protect Journalists (New York)

New York — Algerian authorities must immediately release freelance French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. An Algiers court sentenced him on June 29 to seven years in prison on charges of "glorifying terrorism" and "possessing propaganda publications harmful to the national interest."

Gleizes was arrested on May 28, 2024, in the town of Tizi Ouzou, about 60 miles east of the capital, Algiers, following an interview with a football club president who is allegedly affiliated with the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie, an opposition group founded in 2003 that supports autonomy for the northern Kabylie region. Algerian authorities have classified the group as a terrorist organization since 2021.

"Sentencing French journalist Christophe Gleizes to seven years in prison on terrorism charges over an interview is a clear indication of the government's intolerance of press freedom," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Sara Qudah. "Algerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Gleizes, and drop all charges against him."

Gleizes, who has contributed to French sports magazines So Foot and Society, traveled to Algeria in 2023 to report on JS Kabylie, a prominent football team in the Kabylie region. His detention was not revealed until his sentencing was announced on Sunday.

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In a statement, France's foreign affairs ministry called the sentence "harsh," said it had requested consular access to Gleizes in prison, and said Gleizes will appeal the sentence.

Gleizes' conviction comes amid escalating tensions between France and Algeria over migration, extradition, and France's position on Western Sahara, which is that the area should be under Moroccan, not Algerian, sovereignty.

CPJ's email to the Algerian Ministry of the Interior seeking comment on Gleizes' sentencing did not receive a response.

Read the original article on CPJ.

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