BERLIN: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has appealed to his Algerian counterpart, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to grant a pardon to the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal.

In March, Sansal was sentenced to a five-year jail term for allegedly harming national unity in Algeria.

Steinmeier's office confirmed that he has requested Tebboune to consider releasing Sansal as a humanitarian gesture due to his advanced age and fragile health condition.

Additionally, Steinmeier offered to relocate Sansal to Germany where he would receive medical care.

The Algerian presidency acknowledged Steinmeier’s request for a pardon, and this appeal was also reported by Algerian public television.

Observers in Algeria interpret the widespread reporting of this request as a positive sign for Sansal's case.

Meanwhile, France has also called on Algeria to show leniency towards Sansal.

His imprisonment has further strained the already tense relationship between France and Algeria.

Sansal’s family has highlighted his ongoing treatment for prostate cancer.

A celebrated figure in North African modern francophone literature, Sansal is known for his critical stance against both Algerian authorities and Islamists.

The case originated after Sansal made a statement to the far-right French outlet Frontieres claiming that France unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial period from 1830 to 1962.

This assertion challenges Algerian sovereignty, aligning with longstanding Moroccan territorial claims.