LARBAÂ NATH IRATHEN — 2021 · Murder
The Lynching of Djamel Bensmail
During the wildfires that ravaged Kabylie in August 2021, Djamel Bensmail, a 38-year-old painter and musician, travelled 320 kilometres from his home to volunteer in the firefighting effort. Because he was not from the area, some local residents accused him of starting the fires. He sought refuge at the police station to explain himself, but on 11 August 2021 a mob dragged him out and killed him. Footage of the lynching spread widely and deeply shocked the country. A court in Dar El Beïda sentenced 49 defendants to death in November 2022, and in October 2023 the Algiers Court of Appeal handed down death sentences to 38. Algeria has carried out no executions since 1993.
- Date
- 2021
- Place
- Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, Larbaâ Nath Irathen, DZ
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 36.6400, 4.2000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- August 2021Djamel Bensmail travelled to Kabylie to volunteer against the fires.
- 11 August 2021He was dragged from the police station and killed by a mob.
- 24 November 2022The first-instance court sentenced 49 defendants to death.
- 23 October 2023The appeal court handed down death sentences to 38 defendants.
Sources
- PressAfrik — Algérie: 38 personnes condamnées à mort dans une affaire de lynchage pressafrik.com ↗
- DzairTube — Murder of Djamel Bensmaïl: death penalty against 49 accused dzair-tube.dz ↗
- Wikipedia — Killing of Djamel Ben Ismail en.wikipedia.org ↗
- PressAfrik
- DzairTube
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.