Algerian court sentences writer Sansal to five years in jail

The author is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of Islamists. He was arrested in November and stood trial for undermining Algeria's territorial integrity, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era. The statement, which echoed a long-standing Moroccan claim, was viewed by Algeria as an affront to its national sovereignty. The author's arrest in Algiers deepened a diplomatic rift with France...