The Franco-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud , winner of the 2024 Goncourt Prize, announced on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, that he had been sentenced by the Algerian justice system to three years in prison and fined five million dinars .

A verdict based on "national reconciliation"

According to a message posted by the author on the social network X, the verdict was handed down on April 21, following a trial held on April 7. This conviction is based on the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation , a text that strictly prohibits any publication dealing with the "Black Decade," the civil war that ravaged the country between 1992 and 2002.

"A unique event in Algerian history [...] I am condemned under the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation," the writer said.

At present, the authorities in Algiers have not yet officially confirmed this sentence.

The origin of the dispute: the Saâda Arbane case

Beyond the legal prohibition against addressing the civil conflict, the novel is at the heart of a heated human and legal controversy:

1. The accusation: A survivor of terrorism, Saâda Arbane, accuses Kamel Daoud and his wife (a psychiatrist) of using her medical and personal history without her consent.
2. The character of Aube: The plaintiff claims to be the model for Aube, the heroine of Houris , who survives a throat-slitting perpetrated by Islamists in 1999 — a trauma identical to that experienced by Ms. Arbane.
3. Civil claims: The victim is claiming 200,000 euros in damages for breach of medical confidentiality and privacy.

International judicial pressure

Kamel Daoud's legal situation has become considerably more complicated in recent months:

1. In Algeria: In addition to this conviction, the author is the subject of two international arrest warrants issued in May 2025.
2. In France: Legal proceedings are also underway concerning the respect for privacy related to the content of the book.

As a reminder, Houris is banned from publication in Algeria, the authorities considering that the book reopens wounds that the 2005 law aimed to close.