An Algerian court sentenced a jihadist to death for kidnapping and beheading a French mountaineer six years ago after a high-profile one-day trial.
The murder of Hervé Gourdel 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 in North Africa, an attraction for hikers, but also a former sanctuary for jihadists.
Three days after his disappearance, armed men from the militant group Jund al-Khilafah – Caliphate Soldiers – posted a horrific video of his murder.
The trial began on Thursday with 14 defendants, eight of whom were accused of being jihadists and of the kidnapping and murder of Gourdel.
However, only one of the eight, Abdelmalek Hamzaoui, is in custody. The other seven were tried and sentenced to death in absentia.
On Thursday, Hamzaoui was taken to the wheelchair ambulance court accompanied by a medical team and watched by special police forces.
At the request of defense lawyers, the opening of the trial was delayed for two weeks due to health problems.
Questioned by the judge, Hamzaoui denied having participated in Gourdel’s kidnapping and murder, affirming to the court that he was accused only 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.
Members of Gourdel’s family, including his partner, Françoise Grandclaude, were in the public gallery.
“I find it very difficult to talk about him [Gourdel], we’re still in shock, ”said Grandclaude. “But I remember that there are many inconsistencies in the words of the principal accused.”
Six others also on trial, accused of not immediately informing the authorities of Gourdel’s kidnapping, were all acquitted, according to an AFP journalist in court.
Five were Gourdel’s climbing companions, who spent 14 hours in captivity with him before being released.
Four of them formally identified Hamzaoui in court as one of the kidnappers.
“I remember Herve’s last look when they were taking him by force,” testified Hamza Boukamoum, one of his climbing guides.
“We tried to stop them, but they pushed us, saying, ‘You don’t care, he is 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 of the charges.
Gourdel’s assassination sparked outrage in both France and Algeria, where it sparked memories of the 1992-2002 civil war between Islamists and the army, which left some 200,000 dead.
The murder occurred following the dramatic takeover of the Islamic State group from northern Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014.
Adventure enthusiast Gourdel traveled to Algeria at the invitation of his climbing companions to try a new climb.
Its hijackers demanded an end to air strikes against Isis in Iraq and Syria by a US-led coalition that included France. Paris rejected his demand.
Gourdel’s body was not recovered until January of the following year, after an operation involving some 3,000 Algerian soldiers. His remains were found in a grave with an explosive trap.
In February, Grandclaude welcomed the fact that the trial was “finally taking place”. Saying it was “very personal”, she said the process could offer “hope for the families and loved ones of victims affected by terrorism”.