Condemning the arrest and detention of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, the European Parliament on Thursday 23 January called for his immediate and unconditional release.
In the joint resolution adopted by the Greens/EFA, S&D, Renew Europe, EPP and ECR groups (533 votes in favour, 24 against and 48 abstentions), Parliament calls on the EU institutions and the EU delegation to make their concerns publicly known to the Algerian authorities and to organise a medical mission to assess Mr Sansal’s state of health.
More broadly, MEPs condemn the arrests of all other activists, political prisoners, journalists, human rights defenders and others detained or sentenced for exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression, and call for their release. They are also calling on the Algerian authorities to review all repressive laws restricting freedoms and the judiciary’s independence.
Lastly, Parliament warns that the EU-Algeria partnership agreement’s renewal must be based on the achievement of constant and substantial progress in the rule of law, and that future disbursements of EU funds should all take account of progress made in this area.
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/f5z (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)