Sports journalist Christophe Gleizes sentenced to seven years in prison for "apology for terrorism" in Algeria
Christophe Gleizes, a 36-year-old sports journalist, was arrested in the Algerian region of Kabylie in May 2024 and placed under judicial supervision for “apology for terrorism.”
By The New Obs with AFP
Published on , updated on
A rally in support of Disclose journalist Ariane Lavrilleux, organized by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), on January 17, 2025, in front of the Paris judicial court. OLIVIER JUSZCZAK/SIPA
A French football journalist, Christophe Gleizes, has been sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria, notably for "apology for terrorism" , Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and his employer, the So Press group, announced on Sunday 29 June, denouncing an "unfair" punishment.
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"An appeal will be filed tomorrow, Monday, June 30," RSF reported, adding that the conviction came "after a thirteen-month judicial review."
According to judicial sources contacted by AFP in Algeria, the journalist was taken directly to Tizi Ouzou prison after his initial conviction. Once he has appealed, he is expected to be retried, but not before the next criminal session, which will begin in October, according to the same sources.
France on Monday deplored the journalist's "heavy sentence" and assured that it was following his situation "closely," reaffirming its commitment to press freedom without, however, calling on Algiers to release him in the context of an exacerbated crisis between the two countries.
"All services remain mobilized to provide him with assistance and are in regular contact with him, his loved ones and his advisors," added the Quai d'Orsay.
An article about a football club in KabylieA 36-year-old freelance journalist and contributor to the magazines "So Foot" and "Society" (So Press group), Christophe Gleizes traveled to Algeria in May 2024, notably for a report on the Jeunesse sportive de Kabylie club.
According to RSF, he was arrested on May 28, 2024 in Tizi Ouzou and placed under judicial supervision, for "having entered the country with a tourist visa, for "apology for terrorism" and "possession of publications for the purpose of propaganda harming the national interest."
"These latest accusations, unfounded and completely refuted, are due to the fact that the journalist had contact, in 2015 and 2017, with the head of the Tizi Ouzou football club, who was also head of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), classified as a terrorist organization by the Algerian authorities in 2021," said the press defense NGO.
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