Heavy sentences, of up to 16 years' imprisonment, were handed down this Friday, December 20, against the eight accused of the role played in the assassination of Samuel Paty in 2020.
If his sister, Mickaëlle Paty, welcomed the verdict with relief (finding it “more severe” than the requisitions), the tension in the room forced her to leave under police escort, without being able to speak to the press.
She then gave an interview to Figaro this weekend, interview, the content of which is as follows. “As soon as the charges were announced, the room was in shock.” she sums up first of all.
“The relatives of the accused were noisy: Azim Epsirkhanov collapsed, Ismail Gamaev hit the window, Abdelhakim Sefrioui shouted 'political verdict'.”
“Certain relatives, including Brahim Chnina's family, verbally accused me, then tried to approach. The gendarmes made me leave through a back door, under escort to a taxi. I did not was able to speak to the press, unlike my sister”, she tells Paul Sugy.
She fears a “remake of the last few weeks” after the appeal made by three of the condemned
She then expresses in this interview “a deep relief. The prosecution's requisitions had been too lenient, not reflecting the seriousness of the acts. The sentences handed down were fair and reinforced the seriousness of the facts. During the trial, the defendants failed to contribute to the truth, denied their testimony, and followed a strategy prepared by their lawyers.”
“The 16-year sentences for Azim Epsirkhanov and Naïm Boudaoud show the rigor of justice”, she continues.
“This trial was for the Republic and to establish jurisprudence. I do not understand why Priscilla Mangel only received a three-year reprieve, despite her crucial role.”
Following the appeal made by three of the condemned Friday evening, Mickaëlle Paty fears a “remake of recent weeks, with the same arguments denouncing 'state Islamophobia' and hoping for more lenient judges”.
“For me, it will be a test,” she concludes.
