More than a week after Philippine’s death, the previous victim of the main suspect, Taha O., wished to speak anonymously through a letter to demand more resources against “the recurrence of sexist and sexual crimes”.
The previous victim of Taha O., suspected of the murder of Philippine, spoke this Sunday in a letter addressed to AFP, urging more means to prevent “the recurrence of sexist and sexual crimes”.
In her letter, authenticated by AFP, the woman, who requested anonymity, requests in particular the “launch of a commission of inquiry” into this issue of repeat offenses. This is the first time she has spoken since the discovery of the body of Philippine, a 19-year-old student at Paris-Dauphine University found buried in the Bois de Boulogne, in western Paris.
“I am Taha O’s first victim.”
A judicial investigation was opened for rape and homicide. Taha O., a 22-year-old Moroccan already convicted in 2021 for rape, is the main suspect. Arrested in Switzerland on Tuesday, the French authorities indicated on Thursday that they would quickly request his extradition.
“I am the first victim of Taha O.”, the author of the letter told AFP by email. “I think of Philippine and her family, and I am immensely sad. I would like to comfort them, comfort her, but I only face the unbearable void left by her death.
“I did everything to ensure that what happened to me would not be repeated,” she continues. “I filed a complaint (…), held firm during the two years of investigation, instruction and then trial, telling myself that my approach would protect other women,” insists the woman who was then represented by lawyer Sylvain Dumay.
Convicted, Taha O. was released in June 2024, “at the end of his sentence” according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. A few months later, Philippine was killed. “Why did the prison system fail to prevent this recidivism? Why were we unable to stop this escalation of violence leading to the murder of a young woman?” asks the writer of the letter.
“Our humanism cannot stop at the gates of our borders”
The fact that the suspect is under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) has sparked strong reactions, in particular from the far right. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, notably urged us to “evolve our legal arsenal, to protect the French”.
The “dysfunction” of the OQTF should not “obliterate the essential question of recidivism”, the woman qualifies in her letter. “What measures to prevent recidivism are planned and actually implemented in detention centers? What is the impact of detention in reducing the risk of repeat offenses? What reintegration support programs are planned?”, she lists.
“Even if this OQTF would have been respected, what international cooperation mechanisms exist to prevent the recurrence of sexist and sexual crimes by deported criminals? Our fraternity, our humanism, cannot stop at the gates of our borders,” she added.
