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Proceedings are underway in the Paris criminal court to clarify open questions about the January 2015 attacks.
It is January 7, 2015 in Paris, in the office of the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”. During the editorial meeting, two masked men break into the conference room and shoot twelve people in cold blood. Then they run away.
The next day, a friend of the terrorists Charlie shoots a policewoman and the next day takes several hostages in a Jewish supermarket. She demands free rides for Charlie’s killers who are locked up in a printing press. Kill four of their hostages.
The bloody balance of the two attacks is 17 dead: the three murderers are shot to death during police operations.
Process with extraordinary dimensions
The attacks in Paris in early January 2015 not only shocked France, but elicited an echo and expressions of solidarity far beyond France’s borders. The trial in the Paris Criminal Court has similar extraordinary dimensions.
The trial takes place in the criminal court of Paris.
Reuters
It is not just prosecutors who appear in court. 200 civil plaintiffs are also represented. Even in the great Palace of Justice in Paris there is no room that offers enough space. The proceedings of the royal courtroom will be broadcast in four additional rooms, where plaintiffs, lawyers, media and viewers will follow the procedure.
The process will take more than two months, with 49 days of negotiations planned to clarify issues that remain open after five years.
Test recordings for the National Archives
«Why these attacks on ‘Charlie Hebdo’ and the supermarket ‘Hyper-Cacher’?” “Who were the sponsors?” Then-President François Hollande asked these questions on French television. For the victims and their families, the The judiciary must create justice, said Hollande of the newspaper “La Croix”, and the French people have the right to know the background of these events.
After the attacks in Paris, there was a wave of solidarity around the world.
Keystone / Files
One thing is certain: the trial of the January 2015 attacks will also be a process for history. The negotiations are completely filmed. The footage is destined for the National Archives of France. There it should be available for historians to do research work. It should be available for public broadcast in at least 50 years.
These records have been possible in France since 1985; this requires a court order. So far, eleven trials have been filmed in France, including the trial of the war criminal Klaus Barbie.
Helpers and accomplices in court
The alleged aides of the three perpetrators, the so-called second circle, are on trial. 14 women and men are charged. You should have helped the three assassins prepare. It is said that they acquired weapons and explosives or money that was needed for the action. Some of the accused served as links to the terrorist organization “Islamic State”, to which the three attackers had professed.
Three of the defendants are still wanted with an arrest warrant. The other 11 defendants are on trial; the prosecution asks for sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment.
