Nice (Quds News Network)- A French court has sentenced Amira Zaiter, a pro-Palestinian activist and nurse-in-training, to three years in prison, with two years suspended, after she posted on social media supporting Palestinians’ basic rights. Zaiter was accused of ‘advocating terrorism and inciting hatred’.

The Nice Criminal Court’s decision on Monday, which mandates that Zaiter serve one year under electronic monitoring, came after her arrest on September 19 and subsequent detention. The court’s sentence went beyond the prosecution’s request of a 30-month sentence, citing the ‘severity’ of her online expressions.

Zaiter, who had been a key figure in organizing pro-Palestine rallies in Nice, was accused of posting messages on X (formerly Twitter) that included praise for Hamas leaders and comments interpreted as condoning violence.

During the October 21 trial, she defended her posts as emotionally driven responses to the genocide in Gaza, stating she aimed to critique Zionism, not Judaism. Despite acknowledging that some of her words were “very violent,” she insisted her intentions were misinterpreted.

Alongside the prison sentence, the court ordered Zaiter to pay over €10,000 to various civil parties and publish her conviction in local newspapers at her own expense.

The trial highlights France’s stringent stance on public speech and ro-Israel laws. In 2021, France adopted the infamous definition of antisemitism proposed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which deems criticism of Israel and zionism, and comparing Israel’s practices to those of the Nazis forms of antisemitism.