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August 28, 2025 – France/Algeria –
In a development that has reverberated across media and diplomatic circles, French freelance sports journalist Christophe Gleizes—a specialist in African football and contributor to So Foot and Society magazines—was sentenced in June 2025 to seven years in prison by a court in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. His conviction includes charges of “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing publications harmful to national interest,” accusations his family and rights groups have vigorously condemned as “totally absurd.”
Gleizes, who had been under a judicial control order since his arrest in May 2024, appealed immediately and is currently awaiting an appeal hearing, expected in autumn 2025. During family visits in August, his mother, Sylvie Godard, described him as maintaining a “fighting mood”, though he feels “completely cut off from the world,” isolated in the prison of Tizi Ouzou.
The Gleizes family has urged that Christophe’s case not become a pawn in diplomatic tensions between France and Algeria—a warning reinforced by his stepfather, Francis Godard, who labeled him a collateral victim of fraught bilateral relations. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has heightened the alarm, calling his sentence “nonsensical” and urging both Algerian authorities to overturn the decision and French authorities to secure his prompt release.
The sentencing has also spurred public appeals within the sports world. Christophe’s family called on sports icons—most notably football legend Zinédine Zidane—to stand up for him, highlighting how the case intersects press freedom and the global sports community.
The case unfolds against a backdrop of escalating strain between Paris and Algiers, marked by disputes over migration policies, trade, extradition, and disagreements over Western Sahara.
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