The public rapporteur of the Marseille administrative court, Florence Noire, suggested on Monday that the responsibility of the French state be recognized in the case of the assassination of Yvan Colonna in 2022 at Arles prison. This request is based on the notion of “fault” of the State in this tragic event. The court’s final decision is expected in mid-February.
During the session, the court examined the requests for compensation filed by the family of Yvan Colonna. The objective was also to judge whether or not the State is at fault in the fatal attack carried out by Franck Elong Abé, another detainee. According to Florence Noire, the State has a clear responsibility for the safety of prisoners, stressing that the “prison administration must ensure their protection”.
The rapporteur also pointed out numerous failings in Franck Elong Abé’s prison career. Convicted as part of an anti-terrorism investigation, the latter should have benefited from “special surveillance”. Florence Noire thus noted the problematic decision to reintroduce him to traditional detention in 2021, when he should have been in a radicalization assessment unit. She denounces “failures attributable to the State” which led to this “culpable failure”.
Criticism has also been raised regarding the attacker’s employment as a housekeeper and general failings in supervision within Arles prison. These are judged to be “at the origin, in a direct and certain manner, of the attack and then the death” of Yvan Colonna.
In a report made public at the end of May 2023, after interviewing 71 people, the parliamentary commission of inquiry confirmed “failures” and “inactions” by the French authorities. These errors resulted in “an extremely violent attack”, leading to Colonna’s death. The latter was serving a life sentence for the murder of prefect Claude Érignac in 1998. The report highlighted the ineffectiveness of the video surveillance system at Arles prison on the day of the incident.
According to information read on the website of our Anadolu colleagues, we recall that Yvan Colonna died three weeks after suffering this violent attack on March 2, 2022 in the prison sports hall by Franck Elong Abé.
