Editorial: Le Monde

• Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal has been recently arrested, furthering political tensions.
• Sansal has been criticizing the Algerian regime and religious extremism for the past 25 years.
• His arrest may be linked to recent controversial statements made to the far-right French media 'Frontières'.
• Sansal should not become a pawn in the challenging relationship between France and Algeria.
• The recent release of journalist Ihsane El Kadi had sparked hopes of a relative climate of calm.

Conclusion: The arrest of Sansal threatens to spoil this climate of calm and does not appear to offer any clear benefit to Algerian society.

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