A court in Tizi Ouzou, in eastern Algeria, on Wednesday announced a ten-year sentence in the appeal trial of French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, accused among other things of "glorifying terrorism". Arrested in May 2024, he has been detained since his trial in June, when he was originally sentenced to seven years in prison.
Issued on: 03/12/2025 - RFI
Mother of Christophe Gleizes, Sylvie Godard (L) next to Christophe Gleizes' brother, Maxime Gleizes at a march in Avignon in support of French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes detained in Algeria and convicted of "glorifying terrorism", 16 July 2025. © CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP
"The accused did not come to Algeria to do journalistic work but to commit a hostile act," said the prosecutor, who also requested a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars (approximately €3,300).
Christophe Gleizes, 36, a contributor to the French magazines So Foot and Society, imprisoned in Algeria since the end of June, had previously asked the court for leniency, stating that he should have applied for a journalist visa instead of a tourist visa to come and report.
Called to the stand at his appeal trial on Wednesday morning, 36-year-old Gleizes asked for leniency, acknowledging that he had made "many journalistic errors despite [his] good intentions."
A contributor to the French magazines So Foot and Society, Gleizes also admitted that he should have been aware that some of his contacts were linked to an organisation classified as terrorist in Algeria.
"I beg your mercy so that I can be reunited with my family," he said in an emotional testimony.
Tourism visa
Gleizes had travelled to Algeria to write an article about the country's most successful football club, Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK), based in Tizi Ouzou, 100 km east of Algiers.
French NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said he was arrested on 28 May 2024 and placed under judicial supervision, for "entering the country with a tourist visa, for 'glorifying terrorism' and 'possession of publications for propaganda purposes that harm the national interest'".
The justice system accused him of having been in contact with an offical from the JSK, who was also one of the leaders of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which was classified as a terrorist organisation by Algerian authorities in 2021.
According to RSF, the initial exchanges between the two men "took place well before this categorisation by the Algerian authorities" and "the only exchange that occurred in 2024 concerned the preparation of his report" on JSK, "something Christophe Gleizes has never hidden."
Gleizes "has no business being in prison; his only crime is having done his job as a sports journalist and loving Algerian football," Thibaut Bruttin, director general of RSF told the press in October.
During the initial trial in June, Gleizes' French lawyer, Emmanuel Daoud said that there had been "a complete misunderstanding of the journalistic profession," by Algerian authorities.
"We had to explained to the judges that a journalist does not engage in politics," that he "is not an ideologue," "not an activist," Daoud told France Inter radio.
The lawyer insisted however on his respect for the "independent and sovereign" Algerian justice system and refuted accusations circulating in France that the journalist was "being held hostage".
He stressed that Gleizes had been able to receive visitors, had access to his criminal file, and consulted with his lawyers.
Support campaigns
In September, RSF launched a petition and an campaign in support of Gleizes and called on football clubs to raise awareness of Gleizes' imprisonment by making statements before matches.
"Support for Christophe Gleizes is a grassroots movement of all those who love journalism and those who love sport," Bruttin said.
At the end of November, nine media organisations published a petition, calling for Gleizes' release, stating that the"freedom of the press cannot be held hostage".
They reiterated that "a reporter who interviews a sports official is not complicit in their positions: they are doing their job."
They added that "diplomatic tensions must never lead to imprisonment, especially of journalists", referring to the recent tensions between France and Algeria.
Indeed at the time of his arrest, Gleizes found himself caught in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between France and its former colony, marked in particular by the withdrawal of the two ambassadors and the reciprocal expulsions of diplomats.
Tensions escalated with France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2024, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Last November, Algerian authorities arrested the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who spent a year in prison on national security charges before being pardoned last month.
Relations also took a dive when in January this year, when Algeria refused to take back an Algerian influencer deported from France, accused of inciting violence on social media.
"The accused did not come to Algeria to do journalistic work but to commit a hostile act," said the prosecutor, who also requested a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars (approximately €3,300).
Christophe Gleizes, 36, a contributor to the French magazines So Foot and Society, imprisoned in Algeria since the end of June, had previously asked the court for leniency, stating that he should have applied for a journalist visa instead of a tourist visa to come and report.
Called to the stand at his appeal trial on Wednesday morning, 36-year-old Gleizes asked for leniency, acknowledging that he had made "many journalistic errors despite [his] good intentions."
A contributor to the French magazines So Foot and Society, Gleizes also admitted that he should have been aware that some of his contacts were linked to an organisation classified as terrorist in Algeria.
"I beg your mercy so that I can be reunited with my family," he said in an emotional testimony.
Tourism visa
Gleizes had travelled to Algeria to write an article about the country's most successful football club, Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK), based in Tizi Ouzou, 100 km east of Algiers.
French NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said he was arrested on 28 May 2024 and placed under judicial supervision, for "entering the country with a tourist visa, for 'glorifying terrorism' and 'possession of publications for propaganda purposes that harm the national interest'".
The justice system accused him of having been in contact with an offical from the JSK, who was also one of the leaders of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which was classified as a terrorist organisation by Algerian authorities in 2021.
According to RSF, the initial exchanges between the two men "took place well before this categorisation by the Algerian authorities" and "the only exchange that occurred in 2024 concerned the preparation of his report" on JSK, "something Christophe Gleizes has never hidden."
Gleizes "has no business being in prison; his only crime is having done his job as a sports journalist and loving Algerian football," Thibaut Bruttin, director general of RSF told the press in October.
During the initial trial in June, Gleizes' French lawyer, Emmanuel Daoud said that there had been "a complete misunderstanding of the journalistic profession," by Algerian authorities.
"We had to explained to the judges that a journalist does not engage in politics," that he "is not an ideologue," "not an activist," Daoud told France Inter radio.
The lawyer insisted however on his respect for the "independent and sovereign" Algerian justice system and refuted accusations circulating in France that the journalist was "being held hostage".
He stressed that Gleizes had been able to receive visitors, had access to his criminal file, and consulted with his lawyers.
Support campaigns
In September, RSF launched a petition and an campaign in support of Gleizes and called on football clubs to raise awareness of Gleizes' imprisonment by making statements before matches.
"Support for Christophe Gleizes is a grassroots movement of all those who love journalism and those who love sport," Bruttin said.
At the end of November, nine media organisations published a petition, calling for Gleizes' release, stating that the"freedom of the press cannot be held hostage".
They reiterated that "a reporter who interviews a sports official is not complicit in their positions: they are doing their job."
They added that "diplomatic tensions must never lead to imprisonment, especially of journalists", referring to the recent tensions between France and Algeria.
Indeed at the time of his arrest, Gleizes found himself caught in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between France and its former colony, marked in particular by the withdrawal of the two ambassadors and the reciprocal expulsions of diplomats.
Tensions escalated with France's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2024, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Last November, Algerian authorities arrested the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who spent a year in prison on national security charges before being pardoned last month.
Relations also took a dive when in January this year, when Algeria refused to take back an Algerian influencer deported from France, accused of inciting violence on social media.
Macron joins family's push to free jailed French journalist in Algeria
France is ramping up diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Christophe Gleizes, the French sports journalist handed a seven-year prison sentence in Algeria, with President Emmanuel Macron insisting he wants to see him home “as soon as possible”.
'Still in shock'
Gleizes was arrested in May 2024 while reporting in Tizi Ouzou, the heart of the Kabylie region and home to JS Kabylie, Algeria’s most decorated football club.
Algerian authorities accuse him of having contact with figures linked to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which they labelled a terrorist organisation in 2021.
He has been detained since his trial in June.
His mother Sylvie Godard and stepfather Francis Godard told RFI on Thursday that the decision to uphold the sentence had blindsided them.
“We are still in shock over this verdict,” said Sylvie. “We thought he would get a suspended sentence, maybe a prison sentence, but definitely not another seven-year prison sentence.”
Gleizes’s parents told RFI they hope to meet Macron as soon as possible to push for their son's freedom.
Issued on: 04/12/2025 - RFI
Issued on: 04/12/2025 - RFI
The family of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist convicted in Algeria of "glorifying terrorism", protest in Avignon, southern France, on 16 July 2025. Their banner reads: "Journalism is not a crime." © AFP - CHRISTOPHE SIMON
The Elysée Palace said Thursday that Macron was “deeply concerned” by the verdict and would continue engaging with Algiers to secure the journalist’s return to France.
It follows the decision by an Algerian appeals court, a day earlier, to uphold his conviction for “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests”.
Gleizes, 36, a freelancer for So Foot and Society, is France’s only journalist imprisoned abroad, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
His detention comes at a tense period in relations between France and Algeria. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has called the journalist’s freedom “a major element” in ongoing discussions between the two countries.
“We will do everything in our power to secure the release” of Gleizes, the minister told broadcaster France 2. “Discussions are ongoing, and we will continue them with the Algerian side.”
The Elysée Palace said Thursday that Macron was “deeply concerned” by the verdict and would continue engaging with Algiers to secure the journalist’s return to France.
It follows the decision by an Algerian appeals court, a day earlier, to uphold his conviction for “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests”.
Gleizes, 36, a freelancer for So Foot and Society, is France’s only journalist imprisoned abroad, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
His detention comes at a tense period in relations between France and Algeria. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has called the journalist’s freedom “a major element” in ongoing discussions between the two countries.
“We will do everything in our power to secure the release” of Gleizes, the minister told broadcaster France 2. “Discussions are ongoing, and we will continue them with the Algerian side.”
'Still in shock'
Gleizes was arrested in May 2024 while reporting in Tizi Ouzou, the heart of the Kabylie region and home to JS Kabylie, Algeria’s most decorated football club.
Algerian authorities accuse him of having contact with figures linked to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which they labelled a terrorist organisation in 2021.
He has been detained since his trial in June.
His mother Sylvie Godard and stepfather Francis Godard told RFI on Thursday that the decision to uphold the sentence had blindsided them.
“We are still in shock over this verdict,” said Sylvie. “We thought he would get a suspended sentence, maybe a prison sentence, but definitely not another seven-year prison sentence.”
Sylvie and Francis Godard, the mother and stepfather of French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, at the headquarters of press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders in Paris, on 27 August 2025. © AFP - STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN
Inside a 'violent' hearing
Francis Godard said the hearing itself was exceptionally charged, with prosecutors' arguments tipping into invective. He told RFI: “The verdict is harsh and it must be said that the hearing was also violent.”
He added that the presiding judge repeatedly tried to portray Christophe as an accomplice in a criminal operation.
According to his mother, Gleizes appeared stunned but stoic when the verdict was announced. “His face was pale,” she said.
The family attempted to speak to him briefly before he was taken back to prison, but Sylvie recounted: “There wasn’t much humanity... They forbade us from seeing him.”
Inside a 'violent' hearing
Francis Godard said the hearing itself was exceptionally charged, with prosecutors' arguments tipping into invective. He told RFI: “The verdict is harsh and it must be said that the hearing was also violent.”
He added that the presiding judge repeatedly tried to portray Christophe as an accomplice in a criminal operation.
According to his mother, Gleizes appeared stunned but stoic when the verdict was announced. “His face was pale,” she said.
The family attempted to speak to him briefly before he was taken back to prison, but Sylvie recounted: “There wasn’t much humanity... They forbade us from seeing him.”
Release campaign
Gleizes now has one week to decide whether to appeal to Algeria’s highest court.
“We are regaining our fighting spirit and we are going to regain our energy so that we can get him out of there as quickly as possible,” his mother told RFI.
She added that the family is hoping for direct engagement with the French president. “We really hope to meet with [Macron] in the next few days and discuss with him the possible courses of action and strategies to be implemented.”
Gleizes also has the backing of press freedom groups including RSF, which denounced his sentence as “outrageous”.
The case has injected fresh strain into relations between Paris and Algiers, already complicated by disagreements over Western Sahara and the expulsion of diplomats last year.
French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was arrested in Algiers and sentenced in March to five years in prison for making comments about Western Sahara that Algerian authorities said undermined the country's territorial integrity.
He was freed last month after intense negotiations with Algeria by France and Germany.
(with AFP)
Gleizes now has one week to decide whether to appeal to Algeria’s highest court.
“We are regaining our fighting spirit and we are going to regain our energy so that we can get him out of there as quickly as possible,” his mother told RFI.
She added that the family is hoping for direct engagement with the French president. “We really hope to meet with [Macron] in the next few days and discuss with him the possible courses of action and strategies to be implemented.”
Gleizes also has the backing of press freedom groups including RSF, which denounced his sentence as “outrageous”.
The case has injected fresh strain into relations between Paris and Algiers, already complicated by disagreements over Western Sahara and the expulsion of diplomats last year.
French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was arrested in Algiers and sentenced in March to five years in prison for making comments about Western Sahara that Algerian authorities said undermined the country's territorial integrity.
He was freed last month after intense negotiations with Algeria by France and Germany.
(with AFP)
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