The woman who gave investigators the location of the hideout where Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the coordinator of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, was hiding does not support his regime of protected witness status. “I live as if I were dead. It’s a burden that I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she confided in the columns of Parisian this Thursday.
She is declared dead
This woman, whose age was not communicated at the time of the trial or after, lives under a false identity. She took an assumed name. She was declared administratively dead. She now lives “under legend”. To stick to her new identity, she had to learn the story of a fictional biography, just like her children.
She obtained her protected witness status in 2017. A first in France. But according to his lawyer, the system is poorly put together. “The legislator took the repentant regime and made a copy and paste for my client without taking into account the specificity of her situation” testifies Me Samia Maktouf. “She is treated like a delinquent,” she laments. And when she makes a wrong move, she is financially sanctioned,” summarizes the lawyer.
-“I always feel in danger”
Sonia must behave in an exemplary manner. She must regularly contact the Interministerial Technical Assistance Service (Siat). He must also help him find a job, school or accommodation. She has already moved several times and had to quit a job because she was recognized. “I advise anyone not to speak,” she warns. “I feel abandoned and always in danger. I am non-existent civilly and legally,” indicates the protected witness. She does not regret speaking to investigators. But she recognizes the difficulty of her new life. “I miss my carefreeness, my joy of living and my freedom,” she concludes.
France
