French Court Sentences Men Convicted of Role in Samuel Paty’s Murder
Background
Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old French schoolteacher, was murdered in October 2020 by an 18-year-old Islamist radical of Chechen origin after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class. Paty had used the cartoons as part of an ethics class to discuss freedom of expression laws in France.
The Trial
In November, seven men and one woman went on trial, charged with contributing to the climate of hatred that led to Paty’s murder. The case was heard by a court panel of professional judges in a trial that lasted seven weeks.
Convictions and Sentences
Two friends of the killer, Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, were convicted of complicity in the killing and jailed for 16 years. Prosecutors had accused them of having given the killer logistical support, including to buy weapons.
Two other defendants who took part in the hate campaign against Paty before his murder were convicted of terrorist criminal association. Brahim Chnina, the 52-year-old Moroccan father of a schoolgirl who falsely claimed that Paty had asked Muslim students to leave his classroom before showing the caricatures, was jailed for 13 years. Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a 65-year-old Franco-Moroccan Islamist activist, was jailed for 15 years.
Lies Spread Online
Chnina had posted messages and videos attacking Paty online. Sefrioui, founder of a now-banned pro-Hamas group, had denounced Paty as a “thug” in another video. They spread the teenager’s lies on social networks with the aim, said prosecutors, to provoke “a feeling of hatred” to prepare the way for “several crimes.”
Paty ‘Died for Nothing’
Paty, who has become a free-speech icon, had used the cartoons to discuss freedom of expression laws in France. Blasphemy is legal in a nation that prides itself on its secular values, and there is a long history of cartoons mocking religious figures.
Family’s Reaction
Before the court’s ruling came on Friday, the family of Paty had accused the prosecution of leniency. Prosecutors had requested that some of the accused be acquitted, and had disputed the “terrorist intent” of the defendants. Paty’s sister Mickaelle told BFMTV that the demands by prosecutors were “very weak”, saying she feared that these would be confirmed by the court.
"I think my brother died for nothing," she said, and teachers were still being targeted by violence and threats, she added.
Conclusion
The trial highlights the importance of upholding freedom of expression and protecting teachers from violence and threats. The sentences handed down by the court are a step towards justice, but the family’s concerns about leniency are a reminder that there is still much work to be done to ensure that such attacks do not happen again.
FAQs
Q: What was the motive behind Samuel Paty’s murder?
A: The motive was to punish Paty for showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class, which the killer and his supporters deemed blasphemous.
Q: Who were the defendants in the trial?
A: The defendants were seven men and one woman, charged with contributing to the climate of hatred that led to Paty’s murder.
Q: What were the sentences handed down by the court?
A: Two friends of the killer were jailed for 16 years, while two other defendants were convicted of terrorist criminal association and sentenced to 13 and 15 years in prison, respectively.