A photograph of history-geography professor Samuel Paty at the Sorbonne University in Paris, October 19, 2024 (AFP / Bertrand GUAY)
Sentences of up to 16 years of criminal imprisonment were requested on Monday against the eight people tried in Paris for their involvement, to varying degrees, in the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty on October 16, 2020.
The highest sentence was requested against Russian of Chechen origin Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, for whom the prosecution requested to exclude complicity in terrorist assassination and to retain terrorist criminal association.
This sentence of 16 years of imprisonment must be accompanied by a two-thirds security period, requested the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office, which on the other hand asked the court to set aside the obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) in due to the situation in Russia, a mandatory sentence for foreigners convicted in terrorism cases.
Attorney General Marine Valentin requested a sentence of 14 years' imprisonment, with a two-thirds security period, against Naïm Boudaoud, 22, also tried for complicity in murder, an offense that the prosecution wants to see reclassified for him also in a terrorist criminal association.
MM. Epsirkhanov and Boudaoud “were fully aware of (Anzorov's) jihadist beliefs and provided him with the material conditions to implement them”, the magistrate had previously underlined.
Accused of having helped Anzorov to obtain weapons and, concerning Boudaoud, of having led him on October 16, 2020 to the outskirts of the college where Samuel Paty taught history and geography, the two young people never stopped proclaim their innocence.
– “Thousands of digital wicks” –
The prosecution requested 12 years of criminal imprisonment, with a two-thirds security period, against the Islamist preacher Abdelhakim Sefrioui, 65, and 10 years of criminal imprisonment, including two-thirds security, against the Moroccan Brahim Chnina, 52 years old.
The magistrates also requested an additional sentence of exclusion from French territory (ITF) against Mr. Chnina, of Moroccan origin.
The two men, prosecuted for terrorist criminal conspiracy, are at the origin of the hate campaign on social networks against Samuel Paty, beheaded as he left his college by Abdoullakh Anzorov, a young 18-year-old radical Chechen Islamist killed shortly after. afterwards by the police.
“No one says that (Messrs. Sefrioui and Chnina) wanted the death of Samuel Paty but, by lighting thousands of digital fuses, they knew that one of them would lead to jihadist violence against the blasphemous professor,” said argue Nicolas Braconnay, the other advocate general.
Brahim Chnina is the father of the schoolgirl who lied by falsely accusing Samuel Paty of having discriminated against Muslim students in his class during a lesson on freedom of expression where he presented a caricature of Mohammed.
In reality, the schoolgirl had not attended this class and the teacher had not discriminated against any of his students.
“This course was balanced and relevant, devoid of any desire to shock,” recalled Mr. Braconnay, denouncing “the slander” which heaped on the professor.
A veteran of Islamist activism, Abdelhakim Sefrioui is the founder of the (now dissolved) pro-Hamas association “Collectif Cheikh-Yassine”.
– “Difficult to understand” –
Civil party lawyers did not hide their dissatisfaction after the requisitions.
“While Islamist pressure continues to increase on social networks, particularly at school and university, the sentences proposed by a specialized prosecutor's office are difficult to understand,” Thibault de Montbrial told AFP, lawyer for a sister of Samuel Paty, before adding: “Fortunately, the court is not required to follow them”.
Francis Spizner, lawyer for the son and partner of the murdered professor, said for his part that “these requisitions do not do justice”.
This legal sketch published on November 4, 2024 shows (from left to right) the accused Abdelhakim Sefrioui, Louqmane Ingar, Azim Epsirkhanov, Priscilla Mangel, Yusuf Cinar, Brahim Chnina, Nabil Boudaoud and Ismael Gamaev at the Paris Special Assize Court ( AFP / Benoit PEYRUCQ)
The members of Samuel Paty's family left the courtroom at the end of the arguments before the first defense lawyers began their pleadings.
At the start of the requisitions, Nicolas Braconnay warned that the indictment would “probably not fully correspond to the expectations” of the civil parties.
Sentences ranging from one year to five years, including 18 months suspended, were requested against the four accused presented by the prosecution as members of the “jihadosphere” revolving around Abdoullakh Anzorov on social networks, and prosecuted for terrorist conspiracy.
The prosecution requested a reclassification of the offenses as an apology for terrorism for one, Yusuf Cinar, and as provocation to terrorism for Priscilla Mangel, the only woman implicated in this case.
A sentence of five years including 18 months suspended was requested against the young Russian of Chechen origin Ismaël Gamaev, the only one of the accused to have admitted his guilt.
Verdict expected Thursday or Friday.
