(Adnkronos) – An Algerian court has sentenced French journalist Christophe Gleizes, specializing in football, to seven years in prison on charges of “apology for terrorism” and “possession of publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests”. This was denounced by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which called the sentence against the reporter, arrested last May, “unjust”.
Gleizes, who will appeal the charges today, collaborated with the magazines ‘So Foot’ and ‘Society’ and was arrested shortly after his arrival in Algeria, where he was to produce a report on the “golden age” of the local football team Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK).
The charges are allegedly linked to two contacts that Gleizes had in 2015 and 2017 with the former president of the club, now head of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), an organization classified as terrorist in Algeria since 2021. However, RSF specifies that the contacts between the journalist and the MAK commander date back to before this classification and that in 2024 they had only spoken in relation to the article the journalist was preparing.
RSF’s general director, Thibaut Bruttin, stated that Gleizes “has been living under absurd judicial control for over a year” and that his conviction “makes no sense, but only demonstrates that nothing escapes political logic today”. The Algerian justice system has “missed an opportunity to show itself up to the task”, Bruttin stressed, calling for the journalist’s “immediate and unconditional” release and inviting the French government to find a “diplomatic and consular solution” as soon as possible.
Gleizes’ family said they were “shocked” by the sentence, and stated that “there is no justification for what is happening”. “How can you justify the conviction of a journalist who exercises his profession with integrity? His passion for telling the stories of African footballers does not deserve this treatment”, concluded the reporter’s family, asking for the verdict to be overturned.
Franck Annese, founder of the So Press publishing group, also defended Gleizes, calling him “a journalist known for working without any political purpose, as his investigations and interviews demonstrate. Christophe’s work is impeccable. This decision is totally unfair”, he concluded.
