Outsider Who Helped Extinguish Wildfire Beaten to Death... 49 Sentenced to Death

Last August, a large wildfire in Algeria sparked the incident
Residents collectively assaulted a volunteer painter mistaken for an arsonist

Jamel Ben Ismail, who went to help extinguish a wildfire but was mistaken for an arsonist and died after being collectively assaulted. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A group of villagers in Algeria who mistakenly identified an outsider who came to help extinguish a wildfire as an arsonist and collectively assaulted him, ultimately causing his death, have been sentenced to death in large numbers.

According to the Associated Press and others on the 25th (local time), an Algerian court sentenced 49 defendants to death for collectively assaulting and killing Jamel Ben Ismail (38), and handed prison terms ranging from 2 to 12 years to 38 others involved in the crime. However, since no executions have been carried out in Algeria for decades, those sentenced to death are expected to serve life sentences in practice.

The tragic death originated from a large wildfire that occurred in Algeria in August last year. At that time, wildfires spread nationwide in the North African country of Algeria due to abnormal high temperatures. The wildfire, which started in the northern mountainous region, spread for several days amid heatwaves and strong winds, affecting 17 provinces. As a result, about 90 people, including civilians and soldiers involved in firefighting and rescue operations, died. On social media, posts requesting help such as food and medical supplies continued, and the government appealed to medical workers and others to participate in volunteer efforts. Ismail, an artist, posted on his Twitter, "Our friends are trying to help put out the fire," and headed to the Kabylie region in the northeast, 320 km away from his home.

However, the wildfire spread to the village where Ismail arrived, and local residents accused him of being an arsonist simply because he was an outsider. Dozens of people dragged Ismail, who was hiding inside the police station, outside and brutally assaulted him. He eventually died in the central square of the village. Shockingly, among the rioters, three women and one man mutilated Ismail's corpse with knives, and not stopping there, the enraged mob committed the horrific act of setting the body on fire. Shortly after the incident, a video showing villagers committing the group assault was uploaded on social media, shocking many. This video played a decisive role in helping the police identify the perpetrators among the villagers. However, Ismail's family questioned why those filming the video did not rescue him at the time.

Meanwhile, the incident is also known to be related to the Kabylie regional separatist independence movement group 'MAK.' This area was the last stronghold of the democratization movement that helped oust long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019, and the Algerian government pointed to MAK as behind the wildfire. Five people, including the leader of MAK, were tried in connection with Ismail's death. The defense attorney argued, "Confessions were forced through torture," and claimed, "This trial is a political operation to stigmatize the Kabylie residents."