Killing of Djamel Ben Ismail

Background

Djamel Ben Ismail was a 38-year-old Algerian artist and musician. During the 2021 Algeria wildfires crisis, he tweeted that he would travel to Kabylia, roughly 320 km from his home, to "give a hand to our friends" fighting the fires.

The Killing

Upon arriving in the town of Larbaâ Nath Irathen, local residents falsely accused Ben Ismail of being an arsonist responsible for the deadly wildfires, apparently because he was not from the area. On hearing the accusation, he turned himself in at a local police station in an attempt to explain that he was a volunteer. A crowd gathered on the main square outside the station and eventually dragged him out, attacking him. He was killed after being burned alive by the mob, with some members reportedly taking selfies during the attack. According to the account of the killing, three women and a man stabbed him before he was set alight, and a man stabbed his corpse after he had died.

Reactions

The killing prompted strong condemnation from Algerian political figures. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune condemned the lynching, warning that "anyone who tries to undermine national unity will pay dearly" and attributing blame to "terrorist organizations" including the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK). Mohcine Belabbas of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) called the killing "abhorrent" and a "national trauma." The Socialist Forces Front (FFS) described the murder as "barbaric" and "criminal," characterizing it as an "isolated incident." The Workers' Party (PT), through general secretary Louisa Hanoune, called the killing "an unprecedented wake-up call." Abdelkader Bengrina, head of the National Construction Movement, denounced the "lynching of unprecedented violence" and warned against separatist rhetoric. Graphic images of the killing circulated on social media and shocked the country.

Legal Proceedings

A high-security trial was held involving more than 100 suspects. The criminal court of Dar El Beida sentenced 49 people to death for the homicide and mutilation of Ben Ismail, with 28 others receiving prison sentences ranging from two to ten years, along with fines. Five people, including MAK leader Ferhat Mehenni, were convicted in absentia both for involvement in the killing and for membership in MAK, which Algeria classifies as a terrorist organization. On 26 August 2021, Mehenni was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia and an international arrest warrant was issued for him. On appeal in October 2023, 38 of the death sentences were upheld but commuted to life imprisonment, 27 people were acquitted, and others received sentences ranging from three to twenty years in prison.