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November 27, 2025 – France –
A wave of solidarity has swept French media as more than 300 outlets unite in calling for the immediate release of sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, currently jailed in Algeria on charges critics say turn basic reporting into “terrorism.”
Gleizes, 36, was arrested on May 28, 2024, while covering the storied football club Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JS Kabylie) in the Kabylie region. Last June, a court in Tizi Ouzou sentenced him to seven years in prison for “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing propaganda publications harmful to national interests.” Advocacy groups argue the verdict criminalizes ordinary journalism.
The case stems from Gleizes’s interview with a soccer official alleged to be linked to a banned separatist movement — a group designated a terrorist organisation by Algerian authorities since 2021. Prosecutors have not publicly clarified their case, but the sporting news coverage and reporting on Kabylie’s football culture appear to have triggered the severe charges.
Ahead of an appeal hearing scheduled for December 3, 2025, in Tizi Ouzou, the pressure is mounting on Algerian authorities. The coalition of French media members published a joint op-ed arguing that “questioning a sports official is not complicity,” and denouncing Gleizes’s imprisonment as an attack on press freedom. Several top-tier French football clubs have also joined calls for his release — a notable gesture of solidarity highlighting how political repression of a sports journalist has sparked outrage across media and sporting communities.
Gleizes’s supporters stress he is being punished not for wrongdoing but for doing his job. His detention underscores the heightened risks journalists face in authoritarian contexts when covering politically sensitive issues — including those disguised as sports reportage.
Whether the appeal court will overturn the conviction remains uncertain. But the international outcry and growing alliance between media organizations and sporting-world figures illustrate that this case has become more than a legal matter — it is a battle for the principle that journalists must never be jailed simply for asking questions.
Reference –
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2624011/media
https://www.newarab.com/news/french-media-demand-release-journalist-christophe-gleizes
