Morocco students jailed for killing Islamist fellow in brawl

A Moroccan court has jailed nine leftist university students for killing an Islamist student in a brawl at the University of Fez last year, an official said Saturday.

Abderrahim al-Hasnaoui, 21, died of injuries received in campus clashes involving swords and knives between Islamist and radical leftist students in April 2014.

Of 11 people charged, seven were given 15-year sentences and two others were jailed for three years, while the remaining two were acquitted in the appeals court hearing Friday, the source said.

On May 22, eight members of the security forces and around 20 students were wounded in clashes outside the courthouse where the case was heard.

In a country where Islamists are increasingly influential in institutions of higher learning, Fez is one of the last bastions of the left.