Gdim Izik Trial Verdict: Court Delivers Sentences of 2 Years to Life Imprisonment

Rabat – The Criminal Chamber of the Appeal Court in Salé has delivered its verdict in the Gdim Izik trial. On Wednesday morning, the court imposed sentences ranging from two years to life imprisonment against the 24 individuals accused of the murder of 11 members of the police forces in the dismantling of the Gdim Izik camp.

The court has sentenced eight people to life imprisonment and three others to 30 years in prison. Five people were sentenced to 25 years in prison and three others to 20 years. The court gave six and a half years in prison to one accused, four years to another, and two years to two others.

The court also dropped the charges against certain accused for “forming a criminal gang” and prosecuted them instead for “violence against the public forces in the performance of their duties, which resulted in injuries.”

In addition, the court decided to transfer the seized funds to the state and destroy the other objects seized. The court did not grant civil applications on the form and decided that the civil party should bear the related costs.

This verdict comes after the hearing of all the parties and after granting the last intervention to the defense of the accused. The court gave the floor to the defense of the accused to speak after the accused, both those arrested and those under provisional liberty, refused to join the courtroom to appear before the judge.

On February 2013, the military court in Rabat pronounced sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment against the accused, prosecuted for forming “criminal gangs and [enacting] violence on the police forces, having caused their death with premeditation, mutilation of corpses, and complicity.”

The violence at the Gdim Izik camp had resulted in 11 deaths and 70 wounded among security forces and four civilians, as well as creating enormous material damage to public institutions and private property.