Kamel Daoud targeted by two international arrest warrants issued by Algiers
French diplomacy has been informed of the issuance by the Algerian justice system of "two international arrest warrants" against Franco-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, the spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday, May 7.
"We are following and will continue to follow the development of this situation closely," added Christophe Lemoine, stressing that Kamel Daoud was "a recognized and respected author" and that France was committed to freedom of expression.
Last November, an Algerian court accepted a first complaint against the writer and his psychiatrist wife for having revealed and used the story of a patient in the writing of his novel "Houris" , awarded the 2024 Prix Goncourt , the most prestigious award in French literature.
Two appeals were then filed against Kamel Daoud and his wife, who treated Saâda Arbane, a survivor of a massacre during the dark decade of civil war in Algeria (1992-2002, 200,000 dead).
One complaint comes from Saâda Arbane , who accuses them of using her story without her consent, and another from the National Organization for Victims of Terrorism.
The issuance of an arrest warrant is part of the usual procedure according to the Algerian Code of Criminal Procedure. "If the accused is on the run or if he resides outside the territory of the Republic," the investigating judge may issue an international arrest warrant, according to the law governing this scenario.
Kamel Daoud has also been sued in France for breach of privacy by Saâda Arbane. A first procedural hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday at the Paris Judicial Court. The writer stated in mid-December on public radio France Inter that this story was "public" in Algeria but also that his novel "does not tell the story of Saâda Arbane's life."
His publisher Gallimard had denounced the "violent defamatory campaigns orchestrated (against the writer) by certain media close to a regime whose nature is well known."
La Croıx
