The Casablanca Appeal Court in the Algerian capital, Algiers, kicked off on Sunday the trial of more than 100 defendants, including 49 sentenced to death last year over the brutal killing of Djamel Bensmail, who they falsely accused of starting forest fires in the Kabylie region in the summer of 2021. In a move signaling the gravity of the case, security forces deployed heavily in the court area and enforced strict security measures.