Thami bennani: moroccan court sentences both defendants to 20 years in prison
The First Instance Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Casablanca has put an end to the Thami Bennani case, sentencing two of the male culprits today to 20 years in prison.
The long awaited verdict was delivered today, after Thami’s mother led a 16 year long fight for justice.
The court, which was crowded with local and national media, witnessed crying and screaming following the issuance of the verdict, which many were waiting and hoping for, to the dismay of the defendants’ families.
The defense of the two defendants in the case had worked during lengthy arguments since last Friday to refute the charges against them, and to affirm their innocence.
Lawyers for the two accused young men confirmed that their clients were subjected to injustice as a result of their arrest in the absence of evidence that they had committed a murder.
The Deputy General Prosecutor of the King at the Court of Appeal in Casablanca requested the maximum penalties for the defendants, who are being pursued in the case of detention in Oukacha prison.
This controversial case dates back to 2007, when the then 17-year-old Thami Bennani went out with his friends, but he did not return home, and has been missing since.
