The trial of the alleged accomplices of the murderer of history teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in the street in October 2020, is drawing to a close. On Monday, October 16th, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office issued its indictment. The sentences requested shocked the victim’s family because they are considered to be far too soft—from an 18-month suspended prison sentence to 16 years imprisonment.
The murderer, Abdullah Anzorov, was not present at the trial, and with good reason: he was shot dead by the police shortly after murdering the history teacher, whom he accused of disrespecting Mohammed by showing cartoons of the prophet during his course. But in the dock were those who accompanied him on his murderous journey: a father and daughter, who were responsible for the accusations levelled against the teacher following his lecture on freedom of expression and who helped launch the hunt for him, along with the murderer’s accomplices, who helped him identify Paty as the man to be killed, and prepared the attack.
The two heaviest sentences—14 and 16 years imprisonment—were handed down to two of the assailant’s friends, Naïm Boudaoud and Azim Epsirkhanov. Next come the 12-year and 10-year prison sentences sought respectively against the Islamist preacher Abdelhakim Sefrioui and Brahim Chnina, the father of the schoolgirl who lied and falsely accused the teacher.
Naïm Boudaoud and Azim Epsirkhanov, initially suspected of ‘complicity in terrorist murder,’ are finally being prosecuted for ‘association de malfaiteurs terroriste’—complicity having not been proven. This radically changes the sentences they face, since with ‘complicity’ they risked up to thirty years in prison. These two men had accompanied Anzorov the day before the crime when he went to buy the weapon with which he was going to murder the teacher, but this was clearly not considered sufficient by the magistrates.
One of the accused, Yusul Cinar, was suspected of having encouraged the assailant in his murderous intent. The prosecution requested one year’s imprisonment for him, after he already spent four years in prison. He could in fact walk free and claim compensation. This situation outrages Mickaëlle Paty, one of the teacher’s sisters, who is very committed to obtaining justice for her brother. “It has been shown that you can have taken part in a cabal that led to a beheading and that, in the end, some people go free,” she said indignantly in front of the cameras. She considers this to be “one more scandal” in a case that already has many, and which she denounced in a book in tribute to her brother, Le cours de Monsieur Paty.
During the trial, only one of the accused admitted his guilt. All the others stubbornly denied any responsibility for Samuel Paty’s death. The schoolgirl who started the rumours about the teacher’s class yet apologised for the first time.
Samuel Paty’s family has been in a state of shock since the announcement of the prosecutor’s indictment, which they consider to be clearly inadequate. “These are outrageous charges,” said Virginie Le Roy, a lawyer for the parents and Gaëlle Paty, one of Samuel Paty’s sisters, added: “Samuel Paty’s family is shocked and angry.” Francis Spziner, the lawyer for Samuel Paty’s son and his partner, added: “These indictments are not justice.”
Lawyer Thibault de Montbrial, who is representing one of Samuel Paty’s sisters, is also shocked but wants to remain confident. “At a time when Islamist pressure is steadily increasing on social networks, particularly in schools and universities, the sentences proposed by a prosecutor’s office that is nevertheless specialised are difficult to understand,” he told AFP, before sending out a signal for the end of the trial: “Fortunately, the court is not obliged to follow them”, he reminded us.
The verdict is expected in the next few days and should be known before the end of 2024.
