Paris, Nov. 27, (dpa/GNA) – A juvenile court trial for six minors begins in Paris on Monday for their alleged connections to the Islamist-motivated murder and beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty in October 2020.
Paty’s murder was classified as an act of Islamist terrorism and prompted international horror.
French security forces shot and killed the perpetrator, an 18-year-old with Russian-Chechen roots.
Before the attack in a Paris suburb, the history teacher had been targeted online for showing caricatures of the prophet Mohammed during a class on the subject of freedom of expression.
On Monday, the trial for six minors who are alleged to have been involved in the bloody attack begins in Paris.
The trial against eight adults, some of whom are alleged to have directly assisted the attacker in preparing his offence, is not scheduled for another year.
Five students, who were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the attack, are accused of forming a criminal organization.
Another 13-year-old pupil is accused of making a false accusation, which is said to have triggered the attack.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, all defendants face up to two and a half years in prison.
The trial will last until December 8 and the juvenile court will hear the case via video proceedings.
Information from the juvenile court trial will not be available to the public until proceedings for the adult defendants begin at the end of 2024.
GNA