Morocco | Family of Danish Victim Calls for Execution of Death Penalty

Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (L) and Norwegian Maren Ueland.jpg

A court in Marrakech exempted the family of the Danish victim from paying judicial tax for the compensation. The lawyer of the family described the move as the 1st and an unprecedented action in the country.

The family of the murdered Danish victim in Imlil, a town near Marrakech, is demanding Morocco’s Judiciary to execute the death penalty against the main perpetrators of the heinous crime.

In 2019, a court sentenced 3 defendants to the death penalty for brutally killing two Scandanavian tourists in December 2018.

The court imposed sentences ranging between 30-years and life imprisonment for other suspects involved with the murder.

The family of the Danish victim, Maren Ueland, repeatedly prompted the execution of the death penalty against the main perpetrators.

The lawyer of the family, Khalid Fataoui, told Morocco World News that the mother of the victim “speaks up for death penalty against the defendants” whenever he contacts her to speak about the case’s update.

“Although the death penalty is abolished in Denmark, the victim’s mother wants the execution of the capital punishment for the perpetr ators. She is a mother … people should understand her feelings,” the lawyer told MWN.

Over a year after the verdict was announced, the Marrakech Administration Court granted the family of Danish victim Maren Ueland a compensation of MAD 5 million or $561,538 for psychological damage.

Initially, the family asked the court for compensation of MAD 10 million, the family's lawyer said.

“We have been waiting for the verdict to turn to the administrative court to ask for compensation,” the lawyer said.

The lawyer filed the request at the administrative court in Marrakech.

“We also had to tackle the challenge of paying taxes for the compensation, which the family could not afford. We requested judicial help to exempt the family from paying judicial tax.”

The family of the victim was satisfied with the court’s decision to exempt them from paying the judicial taxes.

Despite notifying the family of the court's verdict to award them with a MAD 5 million compensation, the lawyer is waiting to hear whether the family is happy with the compensation amount, or whether they will appeal the case.

“The decision is an unprecedented move from the court to exempt the family from paying the tax. It is unprecedented because it is the first time that a Moroccan court accepted such a request from a non-citizen.”

The lawyer emphasized that the compensation is not based on the “state fault or responsibility” but rather a compensation based on “social solidarity.”

When asked about his opinion regarding Kevin Zoller’s request to ask for a royal pardon, the lawyer said that it is a constitutional right.

The lawyer also declined to answer whether he is against this request, saying that the constitution and judiciary gives the right to anyone to call for a royal pardon.

Zoller is a Spanish-Swiss defendant who received a 20-year sentence in prison for his involvement in the Imlil murder case.

The family of Zoller requested a royal pardon, citing his mental issues.

On December 28, Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) announced the arrest of Guervos in connection to the murder.

The former head of BCIJ, Abdelhak Khiame, said that the suspect was not directly involved in the murder, but he knew the suspects.

According to the BCIJ, Guervos trained some of the other arrested suspects in the shooting.

He also recruited sub-Saharans with whom he planned to join ISIS in northern Mali.

Guervos was in contact with ISIS members in Syria through Telegram messaging.

Throughout the hearings, Zoller and his family denied the accusations against him.

The case of the Imlil murder made international headlines.

Moroccans in Morocco and beyond expressed solidarity and support for the families of the victims, condemning these heinous acts.

Source: Morocco World News, Staff, July 6, 2021

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