The Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin, returning from a visit to Algiers, said Tuesday that he was “very reassured” by the way in which sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, detained in this country, “is treated” by Algeria.
“We recalled that Christophe Gleizes must be returned not to France, but to his mother,” the Minister of Justice declared this Tuesday morning on CNews and Europe 1, estimating that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune “will be sensitive to it, in any case (…) I trust him for that.” “I think we should not make any more declarations,” he added, “we are all affected by this situation.”
The sports journalist, sentenced to seven years in prison for “apology of terrorism” and detained for almost a year, was arrested as part of a report in May 2024 in Kabylia (north-eastern Algeria). His family announced that he had withdrawn an appeal in March, a step aimed at paving the way for a possible pardon from President Tebboune.
“Resumption of our judicial cooperation”
Gérald Darmanin welcomed “extremely strong exchanges” with President Tebboune on the question of Christophe Gleizes. “Now his sentence is final, since he did not appeal to the Court of Cassation,” Gérald Darmanin admitted on Tuesday. The approach aims to pave the way for a possible pardon from President Tebboune.
The minister estimated that the Algerian head of state was able “to make this gesture for this family, and of course for our good relationship.”
Gérald Darmanin made a two-day visit to Algeria, “at the request of the President of the French Republic,” to discuss the case of Christophe Gleizes as well as judicial cooperation between the two countries. This stay marked an appeasement between the two countries that began in recent months after an acrimonious crisis of almost two years. The Minister of Justice claimed to have obtained from the Algerian authorities “the resumption of our judicial cooperation”.
