[ad_1]
An Algerian court on Thursday sentenced a jihadist to death for the kidnapping and beheading of French mountaineer Hervé Gourdel six years ago after a high-profile one-day trial.
The murder of Gourdel in Algeria in 2014 was claimed by a jihadist faction affiliated with the Islamic State group.
Gourdel, 55, was kidnapped while exploring the rugged massif of Djurdjura National Park, a North African country, an attraction for hikers, but also a sanctuary for jihadists.
Three days after his disappearance, gunmen from the militant group Jund al-Khilafa – in Arabic for Caliphate soldiers – released a gruesome video of his murder.
The trial opened Thursday with 14 defendants, eight of whom were accused of being jihadists and accused of the kidnapping and murder of Gourdel.
However, only one of the eight, Abdelmalek Hamzaoui, is in detention. The other seven were tried and sentenced to death in absentia.
On Thursday, Hamzaoui was brought to justice in a wheelchair ambulance accompanied by a medical team and monitored by special police forces.
Françoise Grandclaude arrives at the Algiers courthouse for the trial of the kidnapping and beheading in 2014 of her partner, the French mountaineer Hervé Gourdel, claimed by a jihadist affiliate of the Islamic State group. By RYAD KRAMDI (AFP) At the request of defense lawyers, the opening of the trial was delayed for two weeks due to his state of health.
Asked by the judge, Hamzaoui had denied having participated in the kidnapping and murder of Gourdel, telling the court that he was only accused of “closing the case and pleasing the French”.
Hamzaoui was found guilty and sentenced to death, although there has been a moratorium on executions in Algeria since 1993.
‘Always … in shock’
Members of Gourdel’s family, including his partner Françoise Grandclaude, were in the public gallery.
“I have a hard time talking about him (Gourdel), we are still in shock,” said Grandclaude. “But I remember that there are a lot of inconsistencies in the words of the main defendant.”
The Algerian court in Dar Al-Baida, Thursday, where the trial of suspects accused of having killed Hervé Gourdel is taking place. By RYAD KRAMDI (AFP) Six other people also tried, accused of not having quickly informed the authorities of the kidnapping of Gourdel, have all been acquitted, according to an AFP journalist in court.
Five were Gourdel’s climbing companions and spent 14 hours in captivity with him before being released.
Four of them officially identified Hamzaoui in court as one of the kidnappers.
“I remember Hervé’s last glance as they took him by force,” said Hamza Boukamoum, one of his climbing guides.
“We tried to stop them, but they pushed us back saying, ‘You don’t care, he’s not a Muslim.’
Their lawyers said they were also victims of the kidnapping, while a sixth man, whose car was stolen to transport Gourdel, was also cleared.
Gourdel’s murder sparked outrage in France and Algeria, where it sparked memories of the 1992-2002 civil war between the Islamists and the military which left some 200,000 dead.
The murder came following the Islamic State group’s dramatic takeover of northern Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014.
The Algerian village of Ait Sellane, near where the body of Hervé Gourdel was found, photographed in January 2015. By Farouk Batiche (AFP / File) The adventure enthusiast Gourdel had gone to Algeria at the invitation of his climbing companions to try a new ascent.
His captors demanded an end to airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria by a US-led coalition that included France.
Paris had rejected their request.
Gourdel’s body was not found until January of the following year after an operation involving some 3,000 Algerian soldiers.
His remains were found in a trapped grave.
In February, his partner Grandclaude welcomed the fact that the trial “is finally taking place”.
Saying it was “very personal”, she said the process could offer “hope to the families and loved ones of victims affected by terrorism”.
Source link
