• French journalist Christophe Gleizes files cassation appeal against Algeria conviction

• Appeal challenges seven-year sentence for terrorism-related charges

• Case fuels press freedom concerns and France-Algeria diplomatic tensions

French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes has filed an appeal in cassation in Algeria after being convicted of glorifying terrorism and possessing publications deemed harmful to national interests, his lawyers said on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Gleizes’ legal team, comprising Algerian lawyer Amirouche Bakouri and French lawyer Emmanuel Daoud, confirmed that the appeal was lodged following a Dec. 3 ruling by the Tizi-Ouzou Court of Appeal, which upheld his seven-year prison sentence.

The move comes amid growing diplomatic tensions. Gleizes, a contributor to So Foot and Society magazines, was arrested in May 2024 in the Kabylie region while reporting on Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK). Algerian authorities said the case stemmed from exchanges with individuals linked to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which the Algerian government has designated a terrorist organization.

His conviction and the upholding of the sentence have raised concerns over press freedom and judicial practices in Algeria. Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders described the appeal court’s decision as “aberrant.”

The appeal comes as France presses for the release of its citizen. President Emmanuel Macron, in comments reported last week by Le Parisien, called the verdict “excessive” and “unjust” and said he would work to secure the journalist’s swift return. Relatives of the 36-year-old journalist are also seeking a presidential pardon.

Gleizes was initially sentenced in late June, a ruling that was later confirmed on appeal.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou