AFP Asia Business

Jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was on his way to Germany for medical treatment on Wednesday after Algiers agreed to a German request that he be pardoned.German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who on Monday had urged Algeria to free the 81-year-old, confirmed he was en route and thanked Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for the “humanitarian gesture”. Germany has taken charge of the transfer and treatment of Sansal, who has prostate cancer, according to his family.Sansal was given a five-year jail term in March, accused of undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity after he told a far-right French outlet last year that France had unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the 1830 to 1962 colonial period.Algeria views those ideas — which align with longstanding Moroccan territorial claims — as a challenge to its sovereignty.He was arrested in November 2024 at Algiers airport. Because he did not appeal March’s ruling, he was eligible for a presidential pardon.Steinmeier urged Algeria to make a humanitarian concession “given Sansal’s advanced age and fragile health condition”, and said Germany would take charge of his “relocation to Germany and subsequent medical care”.- ‘Mercy and humanity’ -French President Emmanuel Macron had also urged Algeria’s Tebboune to show “mercy and humanity” by releasing the author. On Wednesday, Macron thanked his counterparts in both Algiers and Berlin for their roles in Sansal’s release, saying it was “the result of France’s constant efforts and a method based on respect, calm and rigor”.Sansal’s daughter Sabeha Sansal, 51, told AFP of her relief by telephone from her home in the Czech Republic.”I was a little pessimistic because he is sick, he is old, and he could have died there,” she said. “I hope we will see each other soon.”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.Appearing in court without legal counsel on June 24, Sansal had said the case against him “makes no sense” as “the Algerian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and conscience”.When questioned about his writings, Sansal asked: “Are we holding a trial over literature? Where are we headed?”His case has become a cause celebre in France, but his past support for Israel and his 2014 visit there have made him largely unpopular in Algeria.The case has also become entangled in the diplomatic crisis between Paris and Algiers, which has led to the expulsion of officials on both sides, the recall of ambassadors and restrictions on holders of diplomatic visas.Another point of contention was the sentencing to seven years in prison of French sportswriter Christophe Gleizes in Algiers on accusations of attempting to interview a member of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), designated a terrorist organisation by Algeria in 2021.Both Sansal and Gleizes’s prosecution came amid the latest rise in tensions between Paris and Algiers, triggered in July 2024 when Macron backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front. Macron said Wednesday he was “available to discuss with (Tebboune) all matters of interest to our two countries”.- Civil servant turned novelist -An economist by training, Sansal worked as a senior civil servant in his native Algeria, with his first novel appearing in 1999.”The Barbarians’ Oath” dealt with the rise of fundamentalist Islam in Algeria and was published in the midst of the country’s civil war, which left some 200,000 people dead, according to official figures.He was fired from his post in the industry ministry in 2003 for his opposition to the government but continued publishing.His 2008 work “The German Mujahid” was censored in Algeria for drawing parallels between Islamism and Nazism.He has received several international prizes for his work, including in France and Germany.In recent years Germany has offered refuge to several high-profile prisoners from other countries.The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was treated at Berlin’s Charite hospital after being poisoned in August 2020.Last year Germany welcomed several other high-profile Russian dissidents as part of a historic prisoner swap with Moscow.

Algeria has pardoned French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal after a request from Germany, to where he will be transferred for medical treatment after a year in detention, it was announced Wednesday.After German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday urged Algeria to free the 81-year-old, “the president of the republic decided to respond positively”, the Algerian presidency said.The statement said Germany would take charge of the transfer and treatment of Sansal, who has prostate cancer, according to his family.Sansal was given a five-year jail term in March, accused of undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity after he told a far-right French outlet last year that France had unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the 1830 to 1962 colonial period.Algeria views those ideas — which align with longstanding Moroccan territorial claims — as a challenge to its sovereignty.He was arrested in November 2014 at Algiers airport. Because he did not appeal March’s ruling, he was eligible for a presidential pardon.Steinmeier urged Algeria to make a humanitarian gesture “given Sansal’s advanced age and fragile health condition” and said Germany would take charge of his “relocation to Germany and subsequent medical care”.- ‘Mercy and humanity’ -French President Emmanuel Macron had also urged Tebboune to show “mercy and humanity” by releasing the author.Sansal’s daughter Sabeha Sansal, 51, told AFP by telephone from her home in the Czech Republic of her relief.”I was a little pessimistic because he is sick, he is old, and he could have died there,” she said. “I hope we will see each other soon.”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.Appearing in court without legal counsel on June 24, Sansal had said the case against him “makes no sense” as “the Algerian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and conscience”.When questioned about his writings, Sansal asked: “Are we holding a trial over literature? Where are we headed?”His case has become a cause celebre in France, but his past support for Israel and his 2014 visit there have made him largely unpopular in Algeria.The case has also become entangled in the diplomatic crisis between Paris and Algiers, which has led to the expulsion of officials on both sides, the recall of ambassadors and restrictions on holders of diplomatic visas.Another point of contention was the sentencing to seven years in prison of French sportswriter Christophe Gleizes in Algiers on accusations of attempting to interview a member of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), designated a terrorist organisation by Algeria in 2021.Both Sansal and Gleizes’s prosecution came amid the latest rise in tensions between Paris and Algiers, triggered in July 2024 when Macron backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.- Civil servant turned novelist -An economist by training, Sansal worked as a senior civil servant in his native Algeria, with his first novel appearing in 1999.”The Barbarians’ Oath” dealt with the rise of fundamentalist Islam in Algeria and was published in the midst of the country’s civil war which left some 200,000 people dead according to official figures.He was fired from his post in the industry ministry in 2003 for his opposition to the government but continued publishing.His 2008 work “The German Mujahid” was censored in Algeria for drawing parallels between Islamism and Nazism.He has received several international prizes for his work, including in France and Germany.In recent years Germany has offered refuge to several high-profile prisoners from other countries.The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was treated at Berlin’s Charite hospital after being poisoned in August 2020.Last year Germany welcomed several other high-profile Russian dissidents as part of a historic prisoner swap with Moscow.

Syrian authorities have temporarily closed the national museum in Damascus and launched an investigation after thieves made off with several pieces, an official told AFP on Wednesday.The robbery took place overnight Sunday to Monday in the so-called classical wing of the facility, which was spared during Syria’s civil war between 2011 and late last year and which houses priceless artefacts dating back to antiquity.”Official investigations have begun and the museum will remain closed temporarily until the collection of evidence has finished,” the official said, requesting anonymity.”An inventory of all the archaeological items is currently underway to ensure no other pieces are missing,” they added.An official from the department overseeing museums, also requesting anonymity, told AFP that “six small Roman-era statues of the goddess Venus” were taken.An official had previously told AFP that gold ingots were stolen.Syria’s antiquities and museums department said in a statement Tuesday that an official investigation had been opened in coordination with security authorities, without specifying which items were stolen.It said it had taken “immediate measures to ensure the safety of the collections and support the protection and monitoring system inside the museum”.The classical wing is one of the museum’s most important sections, home to artefacts from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras.The museum was closed on Wednesday and a security guard told AFP that “there are no tourist visits until next week”.The national museum had shut its doors due to fears of looting shortly before longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was deposed last December by an Islamist coalition. It reopened in January.The collections include tens of thousands of items from Syria’s long history, ranging from prehistoric tools to Greco-Roman sculptures to pieces of Islamic art.During the civil war, many pieces stored elsewhere in the country were brought to the facility for safekeeping.The war saw archaeological sites bombed, museums looted and many artefacts stolen, generating millions of dollars for traffickers.

When engineer Tarek Mazraani started campaigning for the reconstruction of war-battered southern Lebanon, Israeli drones hovered ominously overhead — their loudspeakers sometimes calling him out by name.Despite a ceasefire struck last November aiming to put an end to more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up near-daily strikes on Lebanon. In addition to hitting alleged militants, it has recently also targeted bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses, often saying they were part of efforts to restore Hezbollah infrastructure.The bombing has prevented tens of thousands of people from returning to their homes, and has made rebuilding heavily-damaged border villages — like Mazraani’s Hula — almost impossible.”For us, the war has not ended,” Mazraani, 61, told AFP.”We can’t return to our villages, rebuild or even check on our homes.”In cash-strapped Lebanon, authorities have yet to begin reconstruction efforts, and have been hoping for international support, particularly from Gulf countries.They have also blamed Israeli strikes for preventing efforts to rebuild, which the World Bank estimates could cost $11 billion.Eager to go back home, Mazraani established the “Association of the Residents of Border Villages” to call for the return of displaced people and the start of reconstruction.He even started making plans to rebuild homes he had previously designed.But in October, Israeli drones flew over southern villages, broadcasting a message through loudspeakers. They called out Mazraani by name and urged residents to expel him, implicitly accusing him of having ties with Hezbollah, which he denies.Asked by AFP, the Israeli army would not say on what basis they accuse Mazraani of working with Hezbollah.”They are bombing prefabricated houses, and not allowing anyone to get close to the border,” said Mazraani, who has moved to Beirut for fear of Israel’s threats.”They are saying: no reconstruction before handing over the weapons,” he added, referring to Israel’s demand that Hezbollah disarm.- ‘Nothing military here’ -Amnesty International has estimated that “more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed” between October of last year — when Israel launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon — and late January.It noted that much of the destruction followed the November 2024 truce that took effect after two months of open war.Just last month, Israeli strikes destroyed more than 300 bulldozers and excavators in yards in the Msaileh area, one of which belonged to Ahmed Tabaja, 65.Surrounded by burned-out machinery, his hands stained black, Tabaja said he hoped to repair just five of his 120 vehicles destroyed in the strikes — a devastating loss amounting to five million dollars.”Everyone knows there is nothing military here,” he insisted. The yards, located near the highway, are open and visible. “There is nothing to hide,” he said.In a nearby town, Hussein Kiniar, 32, said he couldn’t believe his eyes as he surveyed the heavy machinery garage his father built 30 years ago.He said Israel struck the family’s yard twice: first during the war, and again in September after it was repaired.The first strike cost five million dollars, and the second added another seven million in losses, he estimated.”I watched everything burn right before my eyes,” Kiniar said.The Israeli army said that day it had targeted “a Hezbollah site in the Ansariyah area of southern Lebanon, which stored engineering vehicles intended to rebuild the terrorist organisation’s capabilities and support its terrorist activity.” Kiniar denied that he or the site were linked to Hezbollah. “We are a civilian business,” he said.- Disarmament disagreements -In October, Israel killed two engineers working for a company sanctioned by the United States over alleged Hezbollah ties.Under US pressure and fearing an escalation in strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose.But Israel accuses Beirut of acting too slowly and, despite the stipulation in the ceasefire that it withdraw, it maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon.Hezbollah, meanwhile, insists Israel pull back, stop its attacks and allow reconstruction to begin before it can discuss the fate of its weapons.In the aftermath of the 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah spearheaded rebuilding in the south, with much of the effort financed by Iran.But this time, the group’s financial dealings have been under heightened scrutiny.It has insisted the state should fund post-war reconstruction, and it has only paid compensation for its own associates’ rent and repairs.For three long seasons, olive grower Mohammed Rizk, 69, hasn’t been able to cultivate his land.He now lives with his son just outside the city of Nabatiyeh, having been forced out of his border village where his once-vibrant grove lies neglected.”The war hasn’t ended,” he said. “It will only be over when we return home.”

Incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is vying for a second term, has scored a big win in general elections, sources close to the premier said on Wednesday.Iraqis on Tuesday headed to the polls for a general election that came as the country experiences a rare moment of calm in a region roiled by recent conflicts.The next premier must answer to Iraqis seeking jobs, better infrastructure, and improved education and health systems in a country plagued by corruption and mismanagement.But he also faces the exacting task of maintaining the delicate balance between Iraq’s allies, Iran and the US, even more so now that the Middle East is undergoing seismic changes, with new alliances forming and old powers weakening.Iraq’s electoral commission is expected to announce preliminary results later in the evening, but an official close to the premier said that his “Reconstruction and Development list has secured a major victory”.Another two sources said Sudani’s alliance has “won the largest bloc”, with approximately 50 seats.Sudani has emerged as a major force in Iraqi politics, after he was brought to power three years ago by an alliance of pro-Iran groups.- Difficult task -Once final results are confirmed, lawmakers are set to begin negotiations to nominate the prime minister — an often painstaking task that has at times taken months.With an outright majority almost impossible to achieve by any single list, the role of prime minister is determined by the coalition that can secure enough post-election allies to form the largest alliance.In Iraq, the role of prime minister goes to the Shiite majority, the speaker of parliament to a Sunni Muslim, and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd. In previous parliaments, Shiite-majority parties have struck compromise deals to work together and form a government.Sudani was brought to power in 2022 by the Coordination Framework, an alliance of powerful pro-Iran Shiite parties who formed the largest parliamentary bloc.A senior Iraqi politician told AFP last month that the Coordination Framework is divided over supporting Sudani, with former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki reportedly likely to oppose a second term for the incumbent.- Always a balance -Even as Iraq tries to move past two decades of war since a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, the country of 46 million suffers from poor infrastructure and public services, mismanagement and corruption.Many Iraqis who boycotted the elections told AFP the vote wouldn’t bring meaningful change to their daily lives and said that it was a sham that only benefits political elites and regional powers.Sudani has nonetheless vowed to continue on the path of “reconstruction and development”.During his three-year tenure, Baghdad has been transformed into a bustling construction hub, with new tunnels and bridges springing up across the city.He also maintains that his government helped shield Iraq from regional turmoil in the past two years.The next premier will have to maintain the balance between Iran and the US, the long term foes for whom Iraq has often served as a proxy battleground.Since the US-led invasion, Iran has held sway in Iraqi politics, not only backing influential politicians but also supporting armed groups there.The past two years have seen Israel inflict heavy losses on Tehran-backed groups in the region, and Iran itself was on the receiving end of an unprecedented Israeli bombing campaign that led to a 12-day war in June.In addition to maintaining its foothold through the groups it backs, Tehran is also seeking to keep the Iraqi market open to products from its crippled economy.Washington meanwhile hopes to cripple Tehran’s influence, and has long pressured Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups.

A Danish court put two Swedish teenagers on trial on terrorism charges for having thrown two hand grenades at the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen last year.The two men, aged 18 and 21, have also been charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder.”My client pleads not guilty to the charge of terrorism,” Jakob Buch-Jepsen, the lawyer for the 18-year-old, told the court. The defendant pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault.”He admits to throwing two grenades… but he did not throw them at the embassy,” Buch-Jepsen said, while his client, dressed in a white t-shirt, looked on.According to Swedish media, the young man was recruited by Swedish criminal network Foxtrot while he was in secondary school.The same teenager is also being prosecuted in Sweden for a shooting at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on October 1, 2024.The second defendant, wearing a black puffer jacket, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Two explosions were reported near the Israeli embassy in the area of Hellerup in Copenhagen in the middle of the night on October 2, 2024.According to prosecutors, the men had transported five hand grenades to the area near the embassy.They then threw two of the hand grenades in the direction of the embassy, but they hit a nearby residential building and exploded.Police identified the DNA of the 18-year-old man on one of the grenades, which was found in a garden, said prosecutor Soren Harbo.The two men, aged 16 and 18 at the time, were arrested at Copenhagen’s train station as they prepared to travel to Amsterdam.A six-day trial has been scheduled, with the days spread out and it is expected to end on February 3.The embassy attack came hours after the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, in neighbouring Sweden, had been hit by shots.A trial for that incident has still not taken place.In May 2024, Swedish intelligence services claimed that Iran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to carry out attacks against Israeli institutions, which Tehran has denied.