’Validé’ Actor Brahim Bouhlel Set for Release from Moroccan Prison After 8-Month Sentence

The actor Brahim Bouhlel, who plays one of the main roles in the rap series "Validé", should be released from prison this Sunday. "During the visits I made to him, I discovered a deeply endearing young man with great mental strength. I am convinced that he will fully realize his talent as an actor in the coming years," reacted Charles Morel, lawyer for Brahim Bouhlel and Sammy Tami, to Le Parisien. "I know that the relief he must feel today will not be complete until Sammy is also released," he added. The influencer will have to spend four more months behind bars.

It all started with a controversial video shot in April in a restaurant in Marrakech where the Franco-Algerian actors Brahim Bouhlel and Hedi Bouchenafa, and the Franco-Moroccan snapchatter Zbarbooking were in the company of three Moroccan minors. The video, which went viral on social media, caused an uproar. The accused had apologized, explaining that it was a "parody" video.

Placed in pre-trial detention the next day, the Validé actor and the influencer Sammy Tami had been sentenced on April 21 to eight months and one year in prison respectively. This decision was confirmed on appeal on May 31. Hedi Bouchenafa had meanwhile left Moroccan territory before the investigation was opened. Brahim Bouhlel’s appeals and requests for royal pardon proved unsuccessful. The 26-year-old actor resigned himself to serving his sentence to the end.