Brussels – The French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, contributor to the magazines So Foot and Society, was sentenced on 29 June to seven years in prison in Algeria for “apology for terrorism” and “possession of material for propaganda purposes.” This is the hardest sentence handed down to a French journalist in the last ten years. Gleizes is currently the only French journalist detained in the world.
Arrested in May 2024 during a trip to Algeria on a tourist visa, the journalist had been under judicial supervision for more than a year at the time of the Tizi Ouzou court ruling. The Algerian authorities accuse him of having had contacts, in the context of his investigations, with members of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), classified as a terrorist organisation by the Algerian government.
Initially, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), together with the journalist’s family and colleagues, chose silence during the trial, in the hope of a positive solution. But in light of the verdict, it has launched an international public campaign to obtain his release.
In an official letter addressed to members of the European Parliament, RSF called for the urgent adoption of a resolution demanding the immediate release of Gleizes, emphasising that this constitutes a serious and unjustified violation of press freedom. “Such a resolution would strengthen the public mobilisation and diplomatic efforts already underway, and would be a strong signal of support for Christophe’s family and friends,” the letter reads.
Numerous French newspapers and professional organisations joined the appeal, denouncing a sentence that appears politically motivated. The French government also expressed its “deep regret” at the conviction, promising to take diplomatic action to obtain the journalist’s release.
The Gleizes case is part of a context of increasing restrictions on press freedom in Algeria, where numerous journalists and activists have recently been prosecuted for their professional activities.
A persecution without evidence, which once again must and will have to provoke decisive reactions: the European Union cannot remain a spectator while one of its citizens is punished for doing his job. Defending Gleizes today means defending the very idea of Europe.
