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Killing of Djamel Ben Ismail
The murder of Djamel Ben Ismail took place on 11 August 2021 in the town of Larbaâ Nath Irathen, in the region of Kabylia, Algeria, following his lynching by a mob who falsely accused him of lighting deadly wildfires during the 2021 Algeria wildfires crisis.[1] MurderPrior to his murder, Ben Ismail tweeted that he would head to Kabylia, 320 km from his home, to "give a hand to our friends" fighting the ongoing wildfires. Upon his arrival in the town of Larbaâ Nath Irathen, local residents falsely accused him of being an arsonist because he wasn't from the area. Upon hearing this, he turned himself in at a local police station to explain that he was just a volunteer. A crowd gathered around the police station on the main square of the town, eventually dragging him out and attacking him. Aged 38, he was killed after being burned alive by the mob, with some taking selfies. Three women and a man stabbed him before he was burned, and a man stabbed his corpse after he died.[1][2][3] ReactionsThe brutal murder shocked the country after graphic images of it were shared on social media.[3] SentencesThe high-security trial over the killing involved more than 100 suspects, many of whom were found guilty of a role in the murder.[3] The criminal court of Dar El Beida sentenced 49 people to death for the homicide and mutilation of Ben Ismail. 28 others involved in the murder faced sentences ranging from two to ten years in prison, along with fines ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 Algerian dinar.[4] Five people were convicted in absentia both for involvement in the killing and for belonging to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK) which is classified as a terrorist organization by Algeria, among them was the leader of the organization Ferhat Mehenni.[3] On 26 August 2021, Algeria sentenced Ferhat Mehenni to life imprisonment and issued an international arrest warrant for him.[4][5] References
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