Bataclan trial in Paris
Bataclan assassin sentenced to life in prison
In the trial surrounding the Paris attacks in 2015, the main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, was found guilty. This brings the process to an end after 148 days of negotiations.
Published: 06/29/2022 at 8:42 p.m
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Updated: 06/29/2022 at 21:37
After months of negotiations and hearings, the verdicts in the trial of the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris were announced on Wednesday. A court in the French capital found 19 of the 20 accused guilty of all charges. “After 148 days of negotiations, in which 415 joint plaintiffs were heard, the court wants to issue a comprehensive verdict,” said presiding judge Jean-Louis Périès on Wednesday evening.
The main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, has also been found guilty of terrorism and mass murder. He received the maximum sentence and must be behind bars for life. The prison sentence can hardly be reduced. Abdeslam can apply for a reduction at the earliest in 30 years. The sentences for all those convicted range from two years to life imprisonment.
Process lasted nine months
In the Paris Palace of Justice, a jury deliberated on the verdicts on Wednesday until late in the evening. The announcement was delayed by several hours. The public prosecutor demanded between five years and life imprisonment for the 20 accused. Abdeslam, who is believed to be the sole survivor of the terrorist command at the time, is to be imprisoned for life without the possibility of a reduction in his sentence.
The trial had rolled out the series of attacks of November 13, 2015 for nine months. At that time, extremists had killed 130 people and injured 350 others. They massacred the Bataclan concert hall and spread terror in bars and restaurants. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up during an international soccer match between Germany and France at the Stade de France. An assassin was shot dead by the police that evening. Others died in a police operation a few days later.
Some of the accused are already dead
The terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Abdeslam received the most attention in the trial. The public prosecutor sees the 32-year-old Frenchman as a key figure in the attacks. With a view to possible later prison reductions, the defense demanded that Abdeslam not be given a “slow death penalty”. He has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium and is currently in prison in France under special conditions.
Six of the other 19 accused were tried in absentia. One suspect is in custody in Turkey, five are said to have died in Syria. Among other things, the accused are said to have obtained papers, driven Abdeslam out of the country or acted as a failed assassin. Some are also accused of only occasionally doing assignments. (zis/SDA/dpa)