At the trial for the assassination of his big brother against a backdrop of drug trafficking, Amine Kessaci evokes the memory of the man who “always encouraged” him

“It’s been six years since Brahim was assassinated and what I miss most is his voice. The voice is something that memory forgets.” Amine Kessaci, a figure in the fight against drug trafficking in Marseille, began on Wednesday October 28 to testify at the Assize Court, which is trying the alleged murderers of his big brother whom he described as a protective elder for his family. The verdict is expected on November 6.

The testimony of the 23-year-old activist, now deputy mayor of Marseille and who lives under police protection, is one of the most anticipated in the trial which began in Aix-en-Provence on October 19 to judge a triple assassination which cost the life in December 2020 of his brother Brahim, involved in drug trafficking.

Off-white jacket over white t-shirt, the young man took deep breaths before beginning his testimony under the gaze of the five accused, including Amine Oualane, a Marseille crime lord who became one of the alleged leaders of the DZ Mafia gang.

“I would first like to tell you about Brahim, what he was for me, my big brother who both loved his family and was aware of what he did,” says the man who is also a law student. “He was especially interested in telling his brothers to go to school, to work, school was the only way for us to get out of our city and emerge with our heads held high.” Among the siblings raised by a single mother, Brahim, who died at 22, was “the one who protected his brothers, the one who laughed, the one who made me laugh, the one who always encouraged me, even with a mocking air sometimes”.