Algeria Sentences Writer Kamel Daoud to Five Years in Prison Over Novel

ORAN, Algeria – An Algerian court has sentenced renowned writer Kamel Daoud and his wife, psychiatrist Aïcha Dahdouh, to five years in prison following a controversial legal case involving allegations that his award-winning novel Houris used the private life story of an Algerian woman without her consent.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, by a criminal court in the western Algerian city of Oran. Both defendants were tried and sentenced in absentia, having been based in France.

According to reports by Algerian newspaper El Khabar and international media outlets, the court found the pair guilty of offences involving the disclosure of confidential medical information and violations of personal privacy.

They were also each ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 Algerian dinars, equivalent to approximately $2,000.

The case centres on allegations by Saâda Arbane, an Algerian woman who survived violence during the country's devastating civil conflict in the 1990s. She claims that details of her traumatic personal experiences were used without permission in Daoud's novel.

The Controversy Surrounding 'Houris'

Published in January 2024, Houris tells the story of Aube, a young Algerian woman who survives an attack during the country's bloody civil war, commonly known as the Black Decade.

The protagonist loses her ability to speak after an Islamist militant cuts her throat, leaving her with permanent physical injuries.

The novel explores trauma, violence, women's experiences and the lasting consequences of Algeria's conflict, which lasted from 1992 to 2002.

In 2024, the book received the prestigious Prix Goncourt, France's most celebrated literary award, making Daoud the first Algerian-born author to win the honour.

However, its international success was followed by legal controversy after Arbane alleged that the fictional character closely resembled her own life.

She pointed to similarities involving throat injuries, breathing difficulties, physical scars, tattoos and the ownership of a hair salon.

Arbane maintains that these details were disclosed during confidential therapy sessions with Dahdouh, who had previously treated her as a psychiatrist.

She argues that her personal history was subsequently incorporated into the novel without her consent.

Writer Denies Using Confidential Medical Information

Daoud has consistently rejected allegations that he used confidential medical information to develop the novel.

The writer has maintained that the story is fictional and that the experiences depicted in Houris reflect the wider suffering of Algerians during the civil war rather than the life of one identifiable individual.

Following the latest ruling, Daoud criticised the proceedings in a statement shared on social media, arguing that he had been unable to defend himself before the Algerian court.

His wife, Aïcha Dahdouh, has also denied breaching medical confidentiality or providing Arbane's medical records to the author.

In an interview published in November, Dahdouh said she had never betrayed professional medical confidentiality.

She also revealed that she and Daoud had begun divorce proceedings, further complicating the personal and legal circumstances surrounding the case.

A Separate Legal Battle in France

The dispute has also extended beyond Algeria, with legal proceedings initiated in France over the alleged use of Arbane's personal experiences.

In September 2026, a Paris court acquitted Daoud in a separate defamation case brought by Arbane over comments he had made about her.

However, that decision did not determine whether the novelist had used confidential personal information in writing Houris.

The two legal proceedings address different allegations and should not be confused.

Daoud had also previously received a separate three-year prison sentence in Algeria in April 2026 under legislation relating to the country's national reconciliation law.

That earlier conviction concerned allegations of exploiting the country's civil war tragedy to damage the image of state institutions.

Questions Over Freedom of Expression in Algeria

The latest conviction has renewed concerns about freedom of expression, artistic independence and the treatment of writers in Algeria.

The country's civil war remains a highly sensitive subject, with the government maintaining restrictions on public discussion and representations of certain aspects of the conflict.

The Black Decade, which involved confrontations between government forces and Islamist armed groups, left an estimated 200,000 people dead and deeply affected Algerian society.

For many survivors, the conflict remains a painful and personal chapter of national history.

The controversy surrounding Houris has therefore raised difficult questions about the boundaries between fictional storytelling, personal privacy and the responsibility of authors when depicting real-life suffering.

While writers have the right to draw inspiration from historical events and human experiences, critics argue that individuals must also be protected against the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive personal information.

International Attention on Algeria's Treatment of Writers

Daoud's conviction is likely to attract further international attention because of his standing in the literary world and the global recognition he received for Houris.

The author has lived in France since 2023 and holds both Algerian and French citizenship.

His case also follows the controversy surrounding fellow Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was imprisoned in Algeria in 2024 before receiving a presidential pardon in November 2025.

Both cases have contributed to wider discussions about the relationship between political authority, freedom of expression and intellectual independence in Algeria.

What Happens Next?

The latest five-year sentence adds another chapter to Daoud's increasingly complicated legal battles with Algerian authorities.

With the writer and his wife residing in France, the immediate enforcement of the sentences remains uncertain.

The case also raises questions about the protection of medical confidentiality, the rights of survivors of violence and the extent to which authors can draw upon real-life experiences when creating fictional characters.