Algeria court clears path to pardon French journalist

June 3, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Algeria’s top court removed a legal obstacle to a possible pardon for jailed French journalist Christophe Gleizes, his lawyers said.

Why this matters

The ruling could determine whether Gleizes is released through a presidential pardon rather than further court action. The case also comes as relations between France and Algeria have recently improved after a prolonged period of tension.

An Algerian court cleared the way for a possible presidential pardon of detained French journalist Christophe Gleizes after rejecting prosecutors’ appeal for a harsher sentence and formally noting that Gleizes had withdrawn his own appeal, his lawyers said Wednesday.

Lawyers Amirouche Bakouri and Emmanuel Daoud announced the Court of Cassation’s decision in a statement on Facebook.

“A decisive step has just been taken regarding the legal situation of Mr Christophe Gleizes,” they said in the joint statement.

The Court of Cassation is Algeria’s highest court of appeal. Gleizes’ lawyers said the decision meant “The future of Mr Christophe Gleizes now falls under the prerogatives of the president of the republic.”

The move was seen as opening the way for a pardon by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as diplomatic relations between Paris and Algiers improved in recent weeks after nearly two years of friction.

He was sentenced in June last year to seven years in prison for “glorifying terrorism” after being convicted of contact with members of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie, a group based abroad that Algerian authorities have designated a terrorist organization.

The sentence was upheld on appeal in December. In March, Gleizes withdrew his final appeal to the Court of Cassation.

Algeria traditionally issues pardons during major religious and national holidays, including July 5, which marks the country’s independence from French colonial rule in 1962.

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