Kamel Daoud was found not guilty of defamation in a legal case involving Saâda Arbane, following a ruling by a Paris correctional court on Tuesday, September 8. The court determined that Saâda Arbane could not be identified as the person referenced in a statement made by Daoud during an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro. As a result, the court ruled that defamation was not established. However, it ordered Saâda Arbane to pay one euro in damages and interest to Daoud, and 1,500 euros to Le Figaro's editor-in-chief, Marc Feuillée, for moral damages. The court described the case as "manifestly unfounded." The legal dispute began after an interview Daoud gave to Le Figaro on April 3, 2025, in which he stated that "Alger can file a complaint against Kamel Daoud in France." Saâda Arbane's legal team argued that she could be identified behind the reference to "Alger" and that the statements linked her legal actions to the Algerian government. However, the court did not assess the truth of these political claims, focusing instead on whether Saâda Arbane could be identified in the statement. The acquittal does not settle the broader legal controversy surrounding Daoud's novel Houris. Saâda Arbane had previously claimed that elements of her private life were used to create the character of Aube in the novel. She identified herself with Aube, a character described as a survivor of a terrorist attack during the Algerian dark decade, with specific physical and personal traits. She also alleged that information she shared with Aïcha Dehdouh, Kamel Daoud's wife and a psychiatrist, was used in the novel without her consent. In February 2025, Saâda Arbane launched a separate legal case in France, suing Daoud and publisher Gallimard for invasion of privacy, seeking 200,000 euros in damages and interest. This case is more directly tied to the content of Houris, with her lawyers arguing that the similarities between her life and the character Aube make it highly unlikely to be a coincidence. The case has taken place in both France and Algeria, with French courts focusing on issues of creative freedom and privacy, while in Algeria, the case is linked to the politically sensitive memory of the civil war in the 1990s. In April 2025, Daoud was sentenced to three years in prison and a heavy fine by a court in Oran, though this was unrelated to Saâda Arbane's complaint and instead concerned an action by the National Organization of Victims of Terrorism. Saâda Arbane has also pursued legal action in Algeria, and two international arrest warrants were issued against Daoud in 2025. Daoud has framed the case as part of a political campaign against him by Algeria, while Saâda Arbane denies this, stating she is acting independently to protect her story and personal life. The legal battle continues, with the defamation acquittal being a specific victory for Daoud but not resolving the central issue of alleged privacy violations. The privacy case remains active.