French Assembly Committee Calls for Release of Boualem Sansal, Left-Wing MPs Abstain

The resolution condemning the detention of the imprisoned Franco-Algerian writer highlights strained Franco-Algerian relations and divides French political factions.

• The French National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who has been detained in Algeria since November 2024.
• The resolution condemns Sansal's detention as arbitrary and raises concerns about his advanced age, poor health, and the broader threat to freedom of expression in Algeria.
• Left-wing parties, including La France Insoumise, the Greens, and the Socialist Party, abstained from the vote, drawing criticism from other political factions for their stance.
• The case has become a focal point of deteriorating Franco-Algerian relations, with critics accusing President Macron of prioritizing diplomatic appeasement over human rights advocacy.
• The resolution is symbolic and serves as a first step, with no date yet set for a full public vote in the French Assembly.

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