Algerian authorities have sentenced French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes to seven years in prison for allegedly “glorifying terrorism.”
The 36-year-old, known for his coverage of African football and contributions to So Foot magazine, was convicted by a court in Tizi Ouzou and immediately imprisoned.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called the verdict “nonsensical,” insisting Gleizes was punished simply for doing his job as a journalist.
Legal sources told AFP that he was transferred to Tizi Ouzou prison after the ruling, with an appeal hearing expected no earlier than October.
Gleizes, who co-authored a book on African football, was arrested in May 2024 and barred from leaving Algeria under judicial control.
He had travelled to Tizi Ouzou to report on Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie, a local football club in the Kabylia region, home to the Berber Kabyle people.
RSF stated that Gleizes had contact in 2015, 2017, and 2024 with a Kabyle football figure tied to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK).
The MAK was declared a terrorist organisation by Algeria in 2021—years after Gleizes’s initial contact with the individual in question.
Authorities also accused Gleizes of possessing materials considered harmful to national interests and serving propaganda purposes.
His family, in a statement shared by RSF, said they were “in shock” and called the sentence an unjust punishment for professional reporting.
So Foot echoed the outrage, declaring, “Imprisoned for doing his job,” while calling on Algerian authorities to reverse what many see as a politically motivated ruling.
The case unfolds amid strained Franco-Algerian relations, marked by recent arrests of French nationals and tensions over Western Sahara diplomacy.