World · Africa · 2 hrs ago
Family urges France to secure release of journalist held in Algeria
French journalist Christophe Gleizes remains imprisoned in Algeria after receiving a seven-year sentence for glorifying terrorism.
He was arrested in May 2024 while reporting on the Jeunesse sportive de Kabylie football club and has worked with the magazine So Foot.
His family and Reporters Without Borders are calling on France's leaders to secure his release.
His mother and stepfather visited him about 10 days before speaking publicly, while his brother said the family can visit only once every three months and cannot call or send letters.
Zinédine Zidane's public support lifted Gleizes's standing among fellow prisoners, his family said.
His case comes amid strained relations between France and Algeria, and his family has warned that French election campaigning could make matters more complicated.
They want the French government to act quickly for his release.
Christophe Gleizes’s family and Reporters Without Borders have urged French leaders to act quickly to secure the journalist’s release from Algeria.
Gleizes, a 37-year-old French journalist, was sentenced to seven years in prison for praising terrorism, and his sentence was upheld on appeal.
His parents say public support from football figure Zinédine Zidane has lifted his standing among fellow prisoners.
Gleizes was arrested in May 2024 while reporting on the Jeunesse sportive de Kabylie football club and has been imprisoned since June 2025.
His family says visits are limited, and his brother says they cannot call or send him letters.
- Who
- Christophe Gleizes, a French journalist and So Foot contributor, is being held. His family and Reporters Without Borders are seeking his release.
- What
- His family and Reporters Without Borders have called on French leaders to act to secure his release from prison in Algeria.
- When
- The appeal was made on October 15, 2026. Gleizes has been imprisoned since June 2025.
- Where
- Algeria.
- Why
- He was sentenced to seven years in prison for praising terrorism after being arrested while reporting on a football club.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Gleizes was arrested in Algeria while reporting on the Jeunesse sportive de Kabylie football club.
He was imprisoned after being sentenced to seven years for praising terrorism.
Zinédine Zidane publicly expressed support for Gleizes.
Gleizes’s mother and stepfather visited him in prison.
His family and Reporters Without Borders called on French leaders to act for his release.
- Journalist
- Christophe Gleizes, 37
- Employer
- So Foot
- Arrest
- May 2024, Algeria
- Sentence
- Seven years in prison for praising terrorism
- Prison status
- Imprisoned since June 2025
- Family visits
- One visit every three months according to his brother
3 sources
"Héros de la prison" grâce à Zinédine Zidane : la famille de Christophe Gleizes donne des nouvelles du journaliste toujours détenu en Algérie
Depuis le soutien de Zidane, Christophe Gleizes est « la star de la prison »
Maxime Gleizes : « Ça fait deux ans qu'avec Christophe, on ne peut pas tout se dire »
What people are saying
Il est de la responsabilité du gouvernement actuel de ramener Christophe à la maison
Je suis stupéfaite par le fait qu’il tient bon, qu’il est solide
On n'abandonnera jamais, jamais, jamais le combat pour faire libérer Christophe
On ne peut pas s’appeler, il ne peut pas envoyer de lettres, on a une visite tous les trois mois