03/07/2009
A French criminal court on Friday (July 3rd) imposed a 5-year prison sentence on Algerian rai superstar Cheb Mami (Mohammed Khalifati) for a 2005 forced-abortion attempt on his ex-girlfriend, international press reported. Characterising the alleged crime as "violence from another era", the female prosecutor on Thursday requested a 7-year prison term. During the hearing, a sobbing Mami confessed that he made a grave mistake.