Moroccan Court Sentences Two to 20 Years for 2007 Murder of Teen Thami Bennani

The defendants, who have been in custody for four years, were found guilty of "premeditated murder", "modifying the crime scene in order to obstruct justice", "making false statements to public authorities" and "failure to report a crime".

The case dates back to April 2007. Thami Bennani, then 17 years old, had left the family home in Mohammedia to join friends in a car. Since then, the young man remains untraceable. Hayat Alami, his mother, saw him leave with his friends and has since relentlessly sought to find her son, convinced that his friends were responsible for his disappearance. Initially classified as a suicide by the police, the mother’s fight to uncover the truth finally led to the incarceration of two of Thami Bennani’s friends in 2019.

Lawyers Reda Ziane and Mrs. Zineb defended the Bennani family, who will receive compensation of 600,000 dirhams from each of the convicted persons.