At the end of the trial surrounding the night of terror in Paris in 2015, harsh sentences were handed down against the accused Islamists. The main defendant receives the maximum sentence, others long prison sentences.
Victims and their relatives, and with them the whole of France, had long awaited the trial of the devastating Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, which left 130 dead. On Wednesday evening, after a process lasting more than nine months, the verdicts were pronounced in the Paris Palace of Justice.
A jury sentenced the main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, to life imprisonment. The 32-year-old Frenchman is the only survivor of the terrorist command. He should not be given the opportunity to reduce his sentence before 30 years have elapsed, which is the highest penalty in France.
19 other defendants convicted
In Belgium, Abdeslam had already been sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting at the police when he was arrested. To what extent the penalties are added up or offset against each other, both countries must now clarify, said a judicial spokeswoman in the evening.
19 other defendants were sentenced to two years to life imprisonment as supporters or participants in the series of attacks. Six of the defendants were convicted in absentia: one is in custody in Turkey, the other five are said to have died in Syria.
In the process, the series of attacks from November 13, 2015 was rolled up. That evening, extremists in Paris had killed 130 people and injured 350 others within a few hours. They massacred the Bataclan concert hall and also spread terror in bars and restaurants. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up during an international soccer match between Germany and France at the Stade de France.
The terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the attacks. Most members of the terrorist squad blew themselves up in the attacks. One was shot dead by the police that evening, and others died a few days later during a police operation.
Judgment has 120 pages
The verdict was delayed until late in the evening. Therefore, the presiding judge, Jean-Louis Périès, decided not to read the 120 pages of the verdict in full. The defendants followed the reasoning with serious faces. Périès listed at a fast pace, which is why the court considers virtually all allegations to be proven.
In addition to Abdeslam’s guilt for being involved in the killings, the judge also challenged Abdeslam’s account that he decided against the attacks at the last minute and therefore did not blow up. The court found that his explosive vest was simply not functional.
“Justice has been served. It will not erase the horror of the acts committed on November 13, 2015. But it is a strong step for all survivors, for all French people,” said France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in the evening. “Today my thoughts are with the victims, the survivors and their families. For many, the time of reconstruction can finally begin. We are and will remain with them.”
Worldwide attention
The process, which lasted more than 140 days, was followed far beyond France. Several weeks at the beginning of the trial were devoted to testimonies from survivors and those left behind, in which the horror night was described hundreds of times in personal fates.
After the verdict was announced, France’s then President François Hollande emphasized that it served to establish the truth by recording the extent of the suffering and pain. “The guilty were sentenced under the rule of law. France has made it clear that our democracy can stand firm without questioning its rules and principles.”
The painful coming to terms with Islamist terror continues to preoccupy France even after the trial of the Paris attacks has ended. Because soon another attack will be tried in the same courtroom – from Nice in southern France only eight months later. On the national holiday, July 14, 2016, 86 people died when a truck drove amok on the beach promenade. The terrorist group Islamic State also claimed responsibility for this act.
Source: Stern
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