BERLIN: French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal is expected to remain in Berlin until at least the beginning of next week, a source with knowledge of his case told AFP Friday.
Sansal, 81, arrived for medical treatment in Germany on Wednesday after Algeria agreed to a German request that he be pardoned and released on humanitarian grounds.
The source described Sansal as “euphoric” over his pardon and release and said he was “well considering the circumstances.”
He had been given a five-year jail term in March on charges of undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity over remarks he made in the French media.
According to his family, Sansal has prostate cancer.
He was taken to Berlin’s military hospital immediately after landing in Germany on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, a French magazine quoted fellow writer Kamel Daoud as saying Sansal could travel to France as early as Friday or Saturday.
However, the source in Berlin said on Friday that Sansal is expected to stay in hospital in Berlin “until the beginning of next week.”
“The plan is for him to be there for even longer,” the source said.
“Various tests are still being completed” at the hospital, after which the next steps will be discussed.
On Monday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to pardon Sansal, citing his “advanced age and fragile health condition.”
A prize-winning figure in North African modern francophone literature, Sansal is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of Islamists.
He acquired French nationality in 2024.
The case has also become entangled in diplomatic tensions between Paris and Algiers, which have led to the expulsion of officials on both sides, the recall of ambassadors and restrictions on holders of diplomatic visas.
Pardoned writer Sansal to stay in Berlin until at least next week
https://arab.news/67chw
Pardoned writer Sansal to stay in Berlin until at least next week
- The source described Sansal as “euphoric” over his pardon and release and said he was “well considering the circumstances“
- He was taken to Berlin’s military hospital immediately after landing in Germany on Wednesday evening
Syria’s growth accelerates as sanctions ease, refugees return
- Economy grows much faster than World Bank’s 1% estimate, fueling plans for currency’s relaunch
NEW YORK: Syria’s economy is growing much faster than the World Bank’s 1 percent estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of the country’s currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh has said.
Speaking via video link at a conference in New York, Husrieh also said he welcomed a deal with Visa to establish digital payment systems and added that the country is working with the International Monetary Fund to develop methods to accurately measure economic data to reflect the resurgence.
The Syrian central bank chief, who is helping guide the war-torn country’s reintegration into the global economy after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime about a year ago, described the repeal of many US sanctions against Syria as “a miracle.”
The US Treasury on Nov. 10 announced a 180-day extension of the suspension of the so-called Caesar sanctions against Syria; lifting them entirely requires approval by the US Congress.
Husrieh said that based on discussions with US lawmakers, he expects the sanctions to be repealed by the end of 2025, ending “the last episode of the sanctions.”
“Once this happens, this will give comfort to our potential correspondent banks about dealing with Syria,” he said.
Husrieh also said that Syria was working to revamp regulations aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which he said would provide further assurances to international lenders.
Syria’s central bank has recently organized workshops with banks from the US, Turkiye, Jordan and Australia to discuss due diligence in reviewing transactions, he added.
Husrieh said that Syria is preparing to launch a new currency in eight note denominations and confirmed plans to remove two zeroes from them in a bid to restore confidence in the battered pound.
“The new currency will be a signal and symbol for this financial liberation,” Husrieh said. “We are glad that we are working with Visa and Mastercard,” Husrieh said.
