France Is Perplexed And Looking For New Mediators With Algeria!

The French authorities are in a quandary about how to deal with the sentence of French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, who was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. They have embarked on a new begging journey, searching for new mediators who enjoy the respect and trust of the Algerian authorities, hoping they might secure a new pardon that seems out of reach this time.

The first obstacle the French authorities faced in dealing with this issue, given that they are compelled to coordinate with the defense team of the convicted French journalist, which consists of an Algerian lawyer, Amirouche Bakouri, and a French lawyer named Emmanuel Daoud, is: should they appeal the decision issued by the Tizi Ouzou Judicial Council before the Supreme Court, or prefer not to appeal so that the decision becomes final after the legal deadlines expire? This opens the door to searching for mediators to persuade the Algerian authorities to issue a pardon for him.

Ultimately, the defense team decided to file an appeal with the Supreme Court, as reported by the right-wing magazine “Marianne” from his defense team on Monday, December 8th. This indicates that the French side has not received any positive signals from the Algerian side regarding this matter, and thus decided to pursue the judicial path until all stages of litigation are exhausted.

The decision to appeal to the Supreme Court came after the journalist, who is in Tizi Ouzou prison, was visited by his Algerian lawyer, Amirouche Bakouri, on Sunday, December 7, 2025, according to the same source, explaining that “there are many legal avenues that could lead to the release of Christophe Gleizes,” as quoted.

This was also confirmed by lawyer Amirouche Bakouri in a post on his Facebook account, where he said: “I visited (Sunday) my client, Christophe Gleizes, the French sports journalist imprisoned in Tizi Ouzou prison… I spent about an hour and a half with him.”

In parallel with the diminishing chances of the French journalist, convicted in the case of glorifying terrorism, being released from prison, the French have embarked on a search for mediators who enjoy the respect and trust of the Algerian authorities to intercede in the hope of a pardon for the imprisoned journalist.

This is inspired by the success of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s mediation in obtaining a pardon from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of charges related to harming Algeria’s territorial integrity and insulting a regulatory body.

The right-wing French press has been the most agitated and interested in the issue of the sports journalist convicted in Algeria, compared to others. The main platform for the right-wing press, “Le Figaro,” stands out here.

In its editorial last Friday, it called on both Algerian-born French football icon Zinedine Zidane and his successor in the French team, Kylian Mbappé (whose mother is Algerian), to intervene with the Algerian authorities to secure the release of the convicted French journalist. It justified focusing on these two players, and no others, by their Algerian origins.

One of the most prominent far-right figures in France, represented by the mayor of Béziers, Robert Ménard, who was elected as a member of Marine Le Pen’s party, went so far as to state that Zinedine Zidane must intervene in the Christophe Gleizes case, during a program on “Europe 1” radio at the end of the week, speaking about what he described as Zidane’s “moral obligation.”

Robert Ménard, who was born in Oran to Pied-Noir parents and is known for his obsession with Algeria, said: “It was his (Zidane’s) duty to express his opinion. This is the moment when a number of things must be said.” He added: “No one will attack him, and certainly not the Algerian government. He is a symbol.”

It seems very difficult for France to find another mediator with the stature of the German President, as happened in the Boualem Sansal case. Therefore, right-wing figures resorted to searching for alternative solutions, with the certainty among these circles that the situation this time is different, and the mission will not be easy, according to many observers.