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The trial of 14 suspects in the attack on the office of the French romantic magazine Shirley Hebdo began five years ago.
The trial of 14 “conspirators” on suspicion of involvement in an attack by Islamic militants against Shirley Hebdo’s office began on Wednesday.
Most of the defendants’ associates are in the Paris court, but the trial has started in the absence of all three.
One day before the trial began, Shirley Hebdo magazine republished some of the most controversial cartoons about Muhammad (peace be upon him). In early 2015, his office came under fire for publishing the cartoon.
Allegedly against the alleged conspirator, the 14 had collaborated in a firearm attack carried out by two brothers on January 8, 2015 in Shirley Hebdo.
Twelve people, including renowned cartoonists, were killed in the attack. A few days later, five people were killed in another attack in Paris. The attack was followed by a series of jihadist attacks in France.
The cover of the latest issue of Shirley Hebdo has reprinted the 12 original cartoon images of the Prophet of Ilam. The cartoons were also published in a Danish newspaper before being published in Shirley Hebdo.
According to the magazine’s editorial, they have been repeatedly asked to continue printing satirical cartoons of Muhammad (peace be upon him) since the 2015 assassination.
As it is written in the editorial of the magazine, we have always rejected this request. There is no legal prohibition on the publication of such cartoons. But there must be a valid reason for publishing such a cartoon, a reason that would be reasonable for the sake of controversy.
“Now that the trial for that January 2015 terrorist attack begins this week, we feel the need to republish the cartoons.”
Fourteen people have been charged in connection with the attack on Shirley Hebdo’s Paris office and later on a Jewish supermarket and a police officer, according to the lawsuit. They reportedly provided weapons and other assistance to the gunmen. In January 2015, gunmen broke into the HyperCatcher supermarket and killed four people.
Three of the accused will be tried in absentia. Because it is believed that they fled to northern Syria and Iraq.
According to the French RFE / RL, about 200 people, including survivors and lawyers, are expected to testify in the case.
The trial is scheduled to begin in March this year, but has been delayed by a coronavirus epidemic. The trial is scheduled to continue until November.
On January 8, 2015, two brothers, Saeed and Sheriff Quachi, broke into Shirley Hebdo’s office and began shooting. The magazine’s editor, Stephanie Sharbanier, better known as Sharb, died along with four other cartoonists.
The rest of the victims included two columnists, an editor, a guest who went to a meeting and a janitor. The editor’s bodyguard and a police officer were also killed in the incident.
As the police searched for the two brothers, another siege began in eastern Paris. The two brothers later died.
Amedi Kulibali, known to the Kuachi brothers, kidnapped several people in a Jewish supermarket and earlier killed a police officer. The man killed four Jews on January 9. He was later shot and killed during a shootout with the police.
Why is Shirley Hebdo the target?
Shirley Hebdo publishes cartoons of anti-institutional satire. They satirize the far right and have also been at the center of controversy for a long time, publishing satirical cartoons on various aspects of Catholic Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
However, following the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet, the editorial board of the magazine received death threats. In early 2011, a gasoline bomb attack was carried out in various departments of the magazine.
Sharb advocates the publication of such cartoons in his magazines, saying they are a symbol of freedom of expression. “I know Muslims will not laugh at our photos,” he told the Associated Press in 2012. “I live under French law, not Koranic law.”
The magazine’s managing editor, Gerard Baird, told the BBC in 2016 that the magazine’s resurgence as an international symbol had sparked new criticism and provocative posts. Many people say that the magazine should respect more different points of view, different beliefs and different ideologies.
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