In France, municipalities organise nationwide for the release of Christophe Gleizes, the French sports journalist locked up in Algeria

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes the exceptional mobilisation of French cities, departments and regions up and down the country, for the immediate release of Christophe Gleizes, the French sports journalist who has been unjustly imprisoned in Algeria since 29 June 2025.

French communities are committed to the release of Christophe Gleizes, the sports journalistunjustly imprisoned for eight months now in Algeria, whose seven-yearprison sentence was upheldby the Tizi Ouzou Court of Appeal on 3 December 2025. Despite an empty case file, he has been convicted of "glorifying terrorism" and "possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests."

Several town halls, departments and regions have joined the mobilisation by deploying banners and posters, and organising public speeches to remind people of the importance of freedom of the press and that the detention of Christophe Gleizes is a major attack on the fundamental right to inform.

This mobilisation, which has been steadily gaining momentum since September 2025, joins that of many celebritiesfrom the French world of sport, culture and media - who recently came together for an event in support of the cause in Paris.

The municipalities involved:

• Agen
• Boé
• Bordeaux
• Briançon
• Grenoble
• Lille
• Lyon
• Montpellier
• Nancy
• Nantes
• Paris Centre
• Paris 5th arrondissement
• Paris 17th arrondissement
• Perpignan
• Rennes
• Toulouse
• Versailles

The administrative departments:

• Département des Bouches-du-Rhône
• Département de la Haute-Garonne
• Département du Lot-et-Garonne

The regions:

• Région Île-de-France
• Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
• Région Occitanie

Christophe Gleizes, imprisoned for simply doing his job

A freelance journalist and regular contributor to French magazines So Foot and Society, Christophe Gleizes was arrested and placed under judicial supervision in May 2024 in Tizi Ouzou while working on a sports piece. His imprisonment has sparked outrage among freedom of expression organisations and public figures and has led to an international support campaign under the hashtag #FreeGleizes.

Timeline of Christophe Gleizes' case and the campaign for his release

28 May 2024:Christophe Gleizes is arrested in Tizi Ouzou (Algeria) while covering a story on the JS Kabylie (JSK) football club. He is placed under a judicial control order.

29 June 2025:Christophe Gleizes is sentenced to seven years in prison for "glorifying terrorism" and "possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests".

30 June 2025:RSF launches a petition calling for Christophe Gleizes' release. To date, it has gathered more than 20,000 signatures.

16 July 2025:Around 100 public figures announce their support for the call for Christophe Gleizes' release.

24 July 2025:During the Tour de France cycling competition, a giant banner calling for Christophe Gleizes' release is unfurled -- an action coordinated by RSF. The aim is to turn one of the most high-profile sporting events of the year into a platform for press freedom.

August 2025:A giant banner in support of journalist Christophe Gleizes is unfurled on the front of the town hall in Agen, the town where he was born. The call for Christophe's release was also shared at the Avignon, Rock en Seine, and Couthures-sur-Garonne festivals, which included speeches by members of his support committee and RSF.

29 September 2025:To mark three months of the journalists' detention in Algeria, sixteen French journalism schools join forces to call for his release. RSF welcomed this initiative and renewed its call for his freedom.

20 November 2025:Nine Ligue 1 football clubs mobilise for the release of Christophe Gleizes, who is being held in Algeria.

29 November 2025:Nearly 30 prominent figures join forces to call for his release.

3 December 2025:Christophe Gleizes' appeal trial takes place at the Tizi Ouzou Court of Appeal, which upholds his seven-year prison sentence. RSF demands his release.

18 December 2025:A giant picture of Christophe on the facade of the FFF headquarters in Paris is revealed. On 19, 20 and 21 December, messages of support were broadcast during the round of 32 of the French Cup. These include a video message from Christophe Gleizes' mother, Sylvie Godard, addressed to her son, which is shown in the 7th minute of the Paris Saint-Germain - Fontenay-le-Comte match. This is a symbolic moment, as the number seven refers to the seven-year prison sentence inflicted on the journalist.

29 January 2026:An exceptional evening of supportwas organised at the Bataclan to mark Christophe Gleizes' seven months of detention. Bringing together more than 1,000 spectators and hosted by journalist Ambre Godillon, the event featured socially conscious artists who chose to perform free of charge: Alex Beaupain, Malik Djoudi, Jeanne Cherhal, Mathilda, Yuksek, and the group Elephanz.