Almost a year to the day since French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was arrested on arrival at Algiers airport, the Algerian presidency has granted him a pardon and allowed him to leave the country.
Sansal, 81, has been at the centre of a bitter diplomatic row between Paris and Algiers. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's decision came in response to a direct approach from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The writer was reported to be on a military plane to Germany on Wednesday evening, and his release was met with widespread relief.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Sansal by phone, said France had used respect and calm to bring about his freedom.
I thank President Tebboune for this act of humanity, said Macron.
Although Paris had been seeking to lower tensions with Algeria for months, it was Steinmeier's role that secured Sansal's release because of his good relations with Algeria's leader.
Steinmeier stated that he had asked Tebboune to pardon Sansal due to his advanced age and fragile health, allowing him to receive medical treatment in Germany.
Tebboune announced earlier in the week that he decided to respond favorably to Steinmeier’s request for humanitarian reasons.
Sansal is currently being treated for prostate cancer and was previously sentenced to five years in prison for comments that allegedly undermined national unity.
Relations between France and Algeria have been tense recently, particularly after Macron supported Moroccan sovereignty in the Western Sahara, a territory backed by Algeria.
This crisis has underscored the historical complexities of Franco-Algerian relations as both nations work toward navigating a future.
