Algeria issues two arrest warrants for Franco-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud

Franco-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud is nan target of 2 world apprehension warrants issued by Algerian authorities successful relationship pinch nan contention surrounding his caller “Houris”, which won nan Goncourt Prize successful 2024.  

Daoud became nan first writer of Algerian descent to triumph nan Goncourt Prize – nan astir prestigious grant successful French literature. 

France has been informed of nan 2 apprehension warrants, a spokesperson for nan French Foreign Ministry said. “We are pursuing and will proceed to travel developments successful this business closely,” said Christophe Lemoine, nan spokesperson for nan Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, stressing that France was committed to state of expression. 

The author, who is simply a French national and resides successful France, is accused of having utilized nan communicative of a subsister of a massacre during nan Algerian civilian warfare without her consent – an accusation he denies. 

Last November, an Algerian tribunal accepted an first title against nan writer and his psychiatrist woman for utilizing nan communicative of a diligent successful nan penning of his caller “Houris”.  

Two appeals were lodged against Daoud and his wife, who treated Saâda Arbane.  

One title came from Arbane, a subsister of a massacre during nan civilian warfare successful Algeria (1992-2002), who accused nan mates of utilizing her communicative without her consent.  

The different is from nan National Organisation of Victims of Terrorism. 

On learning that these apprehension warrants had been issued against him, nan writer's lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont-Haïk, said that Daoud would title them pinch Interpol.  

“The motives down these Algerian warrants tin only beryllium governmental and portion of a bid of procedures aimed astatine silencing a writer whose latest caller evokes nan massacres of nan achromatic decade successful Algeria,” said Laffont-Haïk. 

“Houris” is simply a acheronian caller group partially successful Oran astir Aube, a young female who has been shut up since an Islamist slit her pharynx connected 31 December 1999. 

The book is banned successful Algeria, arsenic nan state prohibits immoderate activity evoking this play of civilian war. Indeed, “Houris” contravenes an article of nan Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which prohibits nan evocation of nan "wounds of nan nationalist tragedy" - nan look utilized to picture nan civilian warfare that pitted Islamist groups against nan Algerian service from 1992 to 2002, sidesplitting 200,000 group and leaving thousands much missing. 

Kamel Daoud antecedently claimed that nan communicative was “public” successful Algeria and that his caller “does not recount (the) life” of Saâda Arbane.  

“This unfortunate young female claims that this is her story. While I tin understand her tragedy, my reply is clear: it's wholly false,” wrote Daoud successful an article for nan French publication Le Point past December. “Apart from nan evident wound, location is thing successful communal betwixt this woman's unbearable calamity and nan characteristic Aube. The coiled is not unique. Unfortunately, it is shared by galore different victims,” continued Daoud, who accused nan plaintiff of being “manipulated to execute an objective: to termination a writer and defame (his) family.” 

Daoud’s publisher, Gallimard, has denounced nan “violent defamatory campaigns orchestrated (against nan writer) by definite media adjacent to a authorities whose quality is good known.” 

Additional sources • Le Point, AFP