I am in pieces": Ismail Snabi carries the aftermath of his incarceration in Algeria

It is difficult for Ismail Snabi, 28 years old, to rebuild his life after his release from Algerian prisons. Persistent pains throughout his body prevent him from working. "I am in pieces," he tells Morocco Diplomatic. According to the diagnoses of the doctors, he would suffer from arthritis or osteoarthritis. For the Franco-Moroccan, his pains are the consequence of the precarious conditions of his detention in Algeria.

On August 29, 2023, the Algerian navy killed two of the four young vacationers - three Franco-Moroccans and one Moroccan - who had strayed on their jet skis in the Algerian maritime area near the Saïdia resort. A fisherman found the body of Bilal Kissi, aged 29 and a Franco-Moroccan national, floating on the Moroccan side. The body of Abdelali Mchiouer, aged 40 and of Moroccan nationality, was fished out the next day in Algerian waters and taken to the morgue in Tlemcen. His family encountered great difficulties, as well as provocations and blackmail, to repatriate his remains to his hometown of Oujda. Mohamed Kissi was rescued by the Moroccan coast guard who were searching for them.

Affected, Ismail Snabi was arrested and detained by Algeria, which accuses him of illegally entering its territory until his conviction to one year and three months in prison for illegal entry into the territory and vehicle smuggling. One year after his release, he carries the aftermath of this incarceration.