Ballon d'Or ceremony raises case of French sports journalist jailed in Algeria

"The Ballon d'Or France Football family would like to take this opportunity to dedicate this ceremony to Christophe Gleizes," said British broadcaster Scott and former Arsenal player and French striker Henry as the ceremony kicked off on Monday evening.Gleizes, who contributes to French magazines So Foot and Society, travelled to Algeria in May 2024 to report on Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK), one of the country's best-known football clubs.It is based in Tizi Ouzou, about 100km (62 miles) east of the capital Algiers, in the mountainous Kabylie region, which is mainly home to the ethnic Amazigh people (historically known as Berbers).It is also the base of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which Algeria designated a terrorist organisation in 2021.Gleizes was accused of possessing publications deemed harmful to national security.The case centred on his contacts with a JSK official who was also associated with the MAK.Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has campaigned for his release, says the exchanges took place in a journalistic context and that some contacts predated the outlawing of the group.During his appeal hearing last December, Gleizes acknowled...