The Mamoudzou Appeals Chamber sentenced two men who fled on Thursday to two years in prison for poaching marine turtles, which are protected species. At first instance in April, the two individuals had confessed to their actions before the investigators, but they had been acquitted for defect in form, much to the chagrin of environmental associations such as Sea Shepherd or Les Naturalistes de Mayotte.
Caught with 65 kg of fresh turtle meat in the barge connecting Petite Terre to Grande Terre, they could not have been assisted by a lawyer while in police custody. This Thursday, they did not appear and did not give power of representation to their lawyer, Me Soumetui Andjilani, however present at the hearing.
These are protected species
Advocate General Denise Lacroix had requested a sentence of one year in prison against the two poachers. The Appeals Chamber was more severe, ordering them to two years in prison and 1,000 euros in damages. This condemnation carries a message that goes in the right direction, estimated the association Les Naturalistes de Mayotte, which recalls that sea turtles are protected species.
"The maximum sentence imposed on them shows that justice plays its role and corrects the disastrous effect of the release of the first judgment," wrote the association in a press release. The latter nevertheless regrets that the condemned are still on the run.
In Mayotte, environmental associations count 300 poached turtles, a figure based on the remains found on the beaches, but which would be lower than the reality. This poaching endangers long-term observation of these animals, one of the island's tourist and economic assets.
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