Six Teenagers Convicted Over French Teacher’s Murder and Beheading
Mr. Paty, 47, was killed in 2020 after showing his class images of the prophet Muhammed published by satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo during a discussion about freedom of expression.
His killer, Abdou lakh Anzorov – an 18-year-old Chechen refugee who had been radicalized – was shot dead by police at the time.
But a French juvenile court today found five of the defendants, who were 14 and 15 at the time of the attack, guilty of stalking the teacher and identifying him to his attacker.
Another defendant who was 13 at the time was found guilty of lying about the classroom debate on social media in a way which provoked online outrage and stoked anger at the teacher.
The teenagers – all students at Mr. Paty’s school – testified that they did not know the teacher would be killed.
They were all handed brief or suspended prison terms, and required to stay in school or jobs during the duration of their suspended terms with regular medical check-ups.
None of them said a word as they departed the courthouse, although one appeared to wipe away tears.
The cartoon had previously triggered a deadly extremist massacre in the Charlie Hebdo newsroom following their publication in 2015, which killed 17 people – including 11 journalists.
Five of the defendants were convicted of involvement in a group preparing aggravated violence after they identified Mr Paty to his attacker.
The sixth wrongly claimed that Mr. Paty had asked Muslim students to raise their hands and leave the classroom before he showed the class the prophet cartoons.
It was later revealed she was not in the classroom that day, and told investigators she had lied. She was convicted of making false allegations.
Following the accusations, her father shared the lie in an online video that called for mobilization against the teacher.
He and a fellow Islamic radical are among eight adults on trial for helping disseminate virulent messages about Mr. Paty, and are due to stand trial next year.
The trial was held behind closed doors, and the media are not allowed to disclose the defendants’ identities according to French laws regarding minors.
Their sentencing comes just weeks after another French teacher was stabbed to death and three other people were injured in a school in the north of the country by a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization.
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