38 death sentences for the killers of Jamal bin Ismail

The Casablanca Criminal Court of Appeal convicted 38 defendants to death sentences in the case of murder, burning, and mutilation of the body of the late Jamal Ben Ismail, while 26 other defendants benefited from acquittal, in the case that shook public opinion in the summer of 2021.

The same court also imposed a sentence of 20 years in prison for 6 detained defendants, while imposing a sentence of 5 years in prison and 500,000 DZD for 8 arrested defendants. One defendant, called “A.H.”, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison. And a fine of 100,000 DZD.

In the same case, the Criminal Court of Appeal convicted 14 defendants to three years in prison and a 100,000 DZD fine, while 26 defendants were acquitted of the charges against them.

The Public Prosecution had sought to impose the death penalty on the defendants prosecuted on charges related to the murder and abuse of the body of Jamal Ben Ismail, who numbered 69 defendants, with a penalty of 10 years imprisonment and an effective fine of 500 thousand dirhams, against the rest of the defendants prosecuted for a misdemeanor, with confiscation. All seizures related to the crime.

Those involved in the case were charged with a set of heavy charges, most notably the felony of committing terrorist and sabotage acts targeting state security, national unity, the stability of institutions and their normal functioning by spreading terror among the population and creating an atmosphere of insecurity through moral and physical assault on people.

The charges also included the felony of participating in premeditated and premeditated murder and violent assault on public force personnel, the felony of conspiracy and the felony of assault whose purpose is sabotage in one or more areas, as well as the felony of creating, establishing, organizing and managing a group or organization whose purpose is to commit acts of sabotage.

The charges also included the felony of involvement and participation in associations, organizations, groups and organizations whose purpose or activities are the crime, the felony of torture and incitement to it, and the felony of spreading hate speech and incitement to destroy the property of others and armed gatherings.

It was noticeable during the last trial that most of the main defendants in the case reversed the statements they made in the first trial, and adhered to a categorical denial of the charges against them.

Many of the defendants benefited from having their sentences reduced on appeal, compared to the first trial, in which 49 defendants were convicted of death and 28 defendants were sentenced to penalties ranging from 10 to two years in prison, with only 17 defendants being acquitted.

The incidents of the crime, which shook national and even international public opinion, date back to the month of August 2021, when fires swept through a number of states, most notably Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, when Jamal Ben Ismail decided to be one of the hundreds of Algerians who came to the aid of their brothers. However, I see treachery. The traitors of the country had a different opinion, as he was killed and his body was mutilated in front of everyone, falsely accusing him of causing the fires.