BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers denounces Paris’s “unprecedented and hostile judicial maneuver” against its diplomatic mission, warning of serious repercussions for bilateral relations
Algiers, Algeria | April 13th, 2025 — In a forceful diplomatic response, Algeria has officially lodged a vehement protest against the French judiciary’s decision to indict and place in pre-trial detention one of its consular officers stationed in France. The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the French Ambassador to Algiers, Stéphane Romatet, on Saturday to deliver the protest in person, describing the incident as a “serious violation of international norms” and a deliberate act of provocation that risks gravely damaging Algerian-French relations.
According to an official communiqué issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary General of the Ministry, Mr. Lounès Magramane, conveyed Algeria’s “strongest indignation” over the arrest, indictment, and detention of the diplomatic agent currently serving at the Algerian Consulate in Créteil. The incident is linked to an ongoing French judicial investigation into an alleged attempted abduction in 2024 of controversial figure Amir Boukhors, also known as “AmirDZ,” an exiled activist and vocal critic of Algerian authorities residing in France.
Flagrant breach of diplomatic immunities
Algeria categorically rejects both the legal grounds and the procedural approach undertaken by French authorities. “This decision is unacceptable both in form and in substance,” the Ministry stated. It strongly condemned the fact that the consular officer was apprehended “in broad daylight in a public area,” without any diplomatic notification or prior consultation through official channels—an action it described as a “flagrant contravention of the immunities and privileges guaranteed to consular personnel under international law and bilateral conventions.”
Algiers underscored that such procedures are not only inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations but also contradict the established diplomatic practices between Algeria and France. “The arrest and detention of our consular agent represent an egregious affront to Algeria’s sovereignty and the sanctity of its diplomatic mission abroad,” the communiqué asserted.
Dubious legal basis and “pretextual argument”
On the substantive level, Algeria lambasted the justification provided by the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office as “frivolous, hollow, and politically motivated.” The Ministry criticized the claim that the officer’s mobile phone had “pinged” near the address of Amir Boukhors, branding it “a flimsy and grotesque pretext that can hardly withstand scrutiny in any credible legal system.”
“This cabal of a judicial process rests solely on a circumstantial and highly speculative piece of evidence, unworthy of triggering such a disproportionate and diplomatically dangerous action,” it said. The statement labeled the affair a “judicial aberration” and accused certain elements within France’s security and political establishment of orchestrating a deliberate act of sabotage against the normalization process underway between the two countries.
Sabotage of bilateral reconciliation efforts
The timing of the incident, Algeria stressed, is “far from coincidental.” The Ministry indicated that the arrest comes just weeks after a high-level telephone discussion between President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in which both leaders had agreed to renew efforts toward rebuilding fractured ties. “This unprecedented judicial escalation cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader context and is clearly aimed at undermining the political momentum initiated at the highest levels of state,” it declared.
The statement further lamented the growing influence of what it termed “hostile French circles” determined to derail any path toward reconciliation, accusing these elements of cynically using “a criminal and subversive figure” such as Amir Boukhors to justify their actions. “Their calculated haste in transforming a criminal fugitive into a symbol of anti-Algerian discourse is as grotesque as it is revealing,” the communiqué stated, adding that these same parties had shown “remarkable inertia” when it came to processing Algeria’s repeated extradition requests for Boukhors due to his links to terrorist organizations.
Serious repercussions ahead
Concluding its message in stark terms, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an ultimatum: it demands the “immediate and unconditional release” of the detained consular officer and full respect for all diplomatic privileges as enshrined in international conventions. Failure to comply, Algeria warns, will not go unanswered.
“This inadmissible and indefensible escalation will have profound consequences on the future of Algerian-French relations,” the Ministry asserted. “Algeria does not intend to let this episode pass without consequence. It will resolutely and fully assume its responsibility to protect its diplomatic personnel from any attack, intimidation, or political exploitation.”
