Ballon d’Or ceremony spotlights jailed French journalist Christophe Gleizes
French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who is serving a seven-year sentence in Algeria, was honoured at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London. Presenters Kate Scott and Thierry Henry dedicated the event to him, drawing attention to his detention and calls for his release.
Gleizes was arrested in May 2024 while reporting on a football club in the Kabylie region. Algerian authorities accused him of possessing material harmful to national security and of links to a group they designate as a terrorist organisation; press freedom group RSF says his contacts were made in a journalistic context. RSF plans a solidarity football match for 11 November, his 500th day in detention, as his case unfolds amid strained relations between France and Algeria.
In short
- Ballon d’Or presenters highlighted Christophe Gleizes’s imprisonment.
- The French journalist is serving a seven-year sentence in Algeria.
- RSF plans a solidarity match on his 500th day in detention.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
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The case for
Gleizes’s supporters can argue that reporting and professional contacts should not be treated as criminal conduct without clear evidence of wrongdoing, and that a lengthy prison sentence risks chilling independent journalism. The public tribute and planned solidarity match can keep attention on his case and press for due process and his release.
The case against
Algerian authorities can argue that protecting national security includes investigating alleged links to organisations they designate as terrorist and possession of material they consider harmful. On this view, the allegations should be assessed through Algeria’s legal process, and a public campaign should not prejudge the evidence or the court’s findings.
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Originally published by BBC World as “Ballon d’Or ceremony raises case of French sports journalist jailed in Algeria”.