Franco-Moroccan Survivor of Deadly Jet Ski Incident Remains Jailed in Algeria

A vacation that turns into a nightmare and a tragedy. On August 29, the Algerian navy killed two of the four young vacationers - three Franco-Moroccans and one Moroccan - who had strayed on their jet skis into Algerian maritime space near the Saïdia resort. A fisherman found the body of Bilal Kissi, a 29-year-old Franco-Moroccan, floating on the Moroccan side. The body of Abdelali Mechaouer, a 40-year-old Moroccan national, was recovered the next day in Algerian waters and taken to the Tlemcen morgue. Wounded, Smail Nabi, also a Franco-Moroccan, was arrested and detained by Algeria, which accuses him of illegally entering its territory until his conviction. As for Mohamed Kissi, he was rescued by the Moroccan coast guard who were searching for them.

Tried summarily on August 30 before the Bab El-Assa court, Ismail Snabi was sentenced to three months in prison for "illegal entry" into Algerian territory. That day, he was presented "bare-chested and barefoot" before the court, his wife, who recently visited him in the Maghnia prison in the west of the country, told Le Monde. "He had gone to have fun, he only had his swimsuit and a life jacket at sea," explains Israa Snabi, 27. The public prosecutor and she appealed. In vain. The sentence was upheld at the second instance trial in Tlemcen on September 24, during which he was tried by videoconference. Subsequently, a new sentence is imposed on this 27-year-old automotive technical inspector working in Bondy and living in Clichy-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), whose criminal record did not mention any conviction.

Tried for "the offense of smuggling a vehicle," he was sentenced on September 6 to six months’ imprisonment - the prosecution had requested three years’ imprisonment - and a fine of 15 million dinars (100,000 euros), or five times the value of the jet ski, according to customs, which joined as a civil party. He is accused of having crossed the maritime border without the documents for the personal watercraft (which belongs to Mohamed Kissi). His wife and the public prosecutor have once again appealed. Snabi sees his sentence increased on appeal: one year in prison. The Franco-Moroccan was unable to appeal these two cases. "We missed the deadlines," sighs his wife. "He won’t get out of prison until he’s paid the fine." While the detainee acknowledges during these four trials that he "mistakenly" entered Algeria, he claims that his "attempt to escape the Algerian naval forces" was "the result of fear."

Since then, Israa Snabi has been taking steps to get her husband out of prison. He would be placed in a cell with about twenty people. "He told me he sometimes sleeps on the floor," sighs his wife. "Today, he’s not doing well. He’s lost about twenty kilos, even though he’s a bit ’chubby’. That’s even his nickname. I’ll do everything to get him out." Israa has written to Catherine Colonna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to request an audience. Without response. "I went to the Quai d’Orsay twice with my children," she says, "but I couldn’t see anyone." The mother then wrote a letter to Emmanuel Macron. "Attentive to your approach, I did not fail to reiterate your expectations [to Ms. Colonna] that I had previously seized," the President of the Republic replied to her through his chief of staff, Rodrigue Furcy. "Yes, but France is doing nothing," she summarizes. "My husband hasn’t even received a visit from the consul in prison."