President Boumediene’s Widow Combating Hate Speech in France

Anissa Boumediene, the widow of the late President Houari Boumediene, is being subjected to a racist smear campaign in France for expressing her position on the imprisonment of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is accused of targeting Algeria’s territorial integrity. This was stated in press releases made to a far-right platform.

The widow of the late President Boumediene was asked if she supported those calling for the release of writer Boualem Sansal, including Yasmina Khadra. She expressed her categorical refusal to release him, responding firmly, “No, not at all.” Although the media outlet that interviewed her, Africa Radio, is unknown, this statement sparked a fierce campaign against the former first lady of Algeria.

Anissa Boumediene justified her firm stance by saying, “For me, Boualem Sansal doesn’t like Algeria.” She added, denouncingly, “Boualem Sansal said that Tlemcen and other cities are not Algerian… For me, that’s very serious,” before addressing her interviewer, “Imagine if the people of Nice (a city in southeastern France) or the Corsicans (named after the island of Corsica) said they would have preferred to remain with the Italians rather than the French.”

The former first lady’s stance came less than a week before the Algiers Judicial Council issued its ruling in the appeals hearing in the case of the Franco-Algerian writer. This decision caused panic among those who supported and demanded Sansal’s release in France. This is because the position of a figure working in the field of law (Anissa holds a law degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris), as well as being an icon in the Algerian society as the widow of a national president beloved by Algerians, the late Houari Boumediene, could impact the case of the imprisoned writer in the eyes of those who attack her.

Therefore, these French circles quickly emerged from their dens, harshly criticising Anissa. What’s striking is that those launching this attack claim to defend freedom of expression, led by the Goncourt Prize winner and fugitive from Algerian justice, Kamel Daoud, who posted on X, “I was asked if I supported the release of Boualem Sansal. She replied: ‘Absolutely not. She lives in France, the country where she enjoys freedom.”

Kamel Daoud followed this with a series of tweets supporting the Franco-Algerian writer, one of which read: “If you want to help yourself, defend your freedoms, believe without kneeling, dream without sleeping, listen without prejudice, and travel with the mere movement of your index finger across the page, read Sansal.”

Despite the undeclared truce in the French media toward Algeria, hoping to de-escalate tensions and pave the way for a pardon for the Franco-Algerian writer, media outlets known for their right-wing leanings have not failed to target the widow of the late president, such as Le Journal du Dimanche and Valeurs Actuelles.

The Journal du Dimanche headlined its article on Anissa Boumediene as follows: “She lives in France and is free: Algeria’s former first lady’s opinion on Boualem Sansal sparks controversy.” In it, it paused on what Anissa Boumediene had said, writing: “The former first lady of Algeria and lawyer does not call for the release of the writer Boualem Sansal, who has been detained in Algerian prisons since November. She believes that his dangerous statements threaten the country’s unity and justify his fate”.

Meanwhile, the other newspaper, Valeurs Actuelles, titled its provocative article against Anissa Boumediene: “His statements are very serious: Algeria’s former first lady does not want the release of Boualem Sansal.” The article commented: “After several months without mentioning the case of Boualem Sansal, the Franco-Algerian writer imprisoned since November 2024 in Algeria, Anissa Boumediene confirmed that she does not want the release of the writer, whose case is a symbol of tensions between Paris and Algiers.”

In contrast, Anissa Boumediene found her defender in France, represented by the locally elected Salim Djellab, of Algerian origins, who responded to Kamel Daoud in a tweet: “Mentioning that Anissa Boumediene “lives in France” amounts to publicly exposing her, while also insinuating a dissident who must be punished. However, under international law, each state is sovereign in the exercise of its justice. If Boualem Sansal was convicted under Algerian criminal law, one can appeal for a measure of clemency (presidential pardon), but certainly not challenge the jurisdiction of a third state.