The request for the release of anti-fascist activist Antonin Bernanos, who was imprisoned in April after a brawl, was accepted by a liberty and detention judge, his lawyer said on Friday.
This 24-year-old student, a descendant of the writer Georges Bernanos and figure of the anti-fascist movement, has been on remand since April 18 on suspicion of having fought in Paris with ultra-right activists. At its release, it should be placed under an electronic bracelet, said Arié Alimi. A prosecution appeal against this decision is still possible and it would be up to the court of appeal to decide.
Some judges "still have the sense of independence", salutes his lawyer
"We are very pleased that some judges still have a sense of independence, and a prosecutor's appeal would be another sign of unhealthy dependence on the Interior Ministry," said his lawyer.
Antonin Bernanos was indicted for "non-incapacitating assembly-related violence" and "robbery with more than 8 days of disability" before being remanded in custody. Four other people were indicted and placed under judicial supervision as part of this criminal investigation opened on 18 April.
An emblematic figure of the anti-fascist movement
Initially incarcerated at the prison of Fresnes, in the Val-de-Marne, he had been for a month at the prison of Health in Paris. "He was in an individual cell, it is a classic detention, with access to sports, parlors, walks," said a prison source.
Antonin Bernanos was sentenced in October 2017 to three years in prison for taking part in the attack on a police car in May 2016 in Valmy quai in Paris. During the trial, he became an emblematic figure of the anti-fascist movement. Released in April 2018 on the basis of sentencing, he had completed serving the remainder of his parole on April 10, a few days before the fight.