Algeria: French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes sentenced to seven years in prison after over a year under a judicial control order

A passionate football enthusiast, Christophe Gleizes has shown his dedication to sports journalism through more than twelve years of articles and professional collaborations. It was this passion that brought him to Algeria in May 2024. Christophe Gleizes, an independent French sports journalist and contributor to the magazines So Foot and Society, has been detained in Algeria for over a year under a travel ban, and has now been sentenced to a custodial determinate sentence of seven years in prison with immediate incarceration for “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests.” He will lodge an appeal as of tomorrow.

As an independent French journalist and contributor to So Foot and Society, Gleizes travelled to Algeria in May 2024 to report on the golden era of the local football club, Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK), during the 1980s. He also intended to cover commemorations marking the death of Cameroonian footballer Albert Ebossé, who died ten years earlier. Additionally, he was commissioned by So Foot to interview Mouloudia Club of Algiers coach Patrice Beaumelle, and to write a profile on footballer Salah Djebaïli.

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