January 2015 attacks: strong emotion at the start of the trial
The former columnist of "Charlie Hebdo" Patrick Pelloux (c) during a recess, this Wednesday, September 2.
REUTERS / Charles Platiau
Text by: Marine de La Moissonnière Follow
5 mins
The trial of the January 2015 attacks began this Wednesday morning before the Paris Assize Court.
The first day was devoted to calling the accused, civil parties and witnesses.
Then the president of the court read for more than three hours the report which summarizes the investigation file.
And there, the emotion was invited in the courtroom.
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From our special correspondent at the Paris courthouse,
“
On Wednesday January 7, 2015, at 11:30 am, two men dressed in black, hooded and armed, burst into the building at 7, rue Nicolas Appert, in Paris.
»In a clear voice despite his mask, the president begins his reading.
A little further on, he lists the names of the 12 victims and is mistaken about the first name of Charb, the former director of the publication of
Charlie Hebdo
.
Her mother comes out of the courtroom in tears.
"
His name was Stéphane, not François,
" she slips.
Like her, other survivors or relatives of the victims of the attacks will leave the room during the narrative of the attacks.
For many, being here today is really, really hard.
Upon their arrival this Wednesday morning, members or former members of
Charlie Hebdo
hugged each other for a long time.
Riss, the director of the newspaper, the designer Coco or even the emergency physician Patrick Pelloux, former columnist for the weekly.
He is one of the first to arrive after
the attack
.
Patrick Pelloux did not want to come today, but he finally changed his mind: “
Those who died, they would have liked us to have the courage to stand up.
There you have it ... You have to have the courage.
Know that the trial there is to defend freedom of expression, that's all that is being played there and we will not tremble.
We do not tremble, we are strong, we are standing and we win.
"
Lassana Bathily did not hesitate.
But this Franco-Malian, who helped other hostages to hide in the
Hyper Cacher
, admits, it is not easy to find oneself facing the accused.
“
For me it's already hard to watch them because they are the accused, the shooters, they are all the same.
To me, they are all the same.
The person who gave support to terrorists, to shooters, I put them all in the same basket.
It's stressful, but it's important.
We've been waiting for this for a long time, for us it's important to be there to get to know.
"
End this, Lassana Bathily tells us, turn a page once justice has been done.
This is the hope of many survivors of the attacks.
►
To read also
:
"Charlie Hebdo", Montrouge, Hyper Cacher: the trial of the attacks opens this Wednesday
"
State services have failed
"
Another highlight of this first day, when a defense lawyer implicated the French intelligence services.
The lawyer for the main defendant decided to protest against the holding of the trial in the new court in Paris and not on the Île de la Cité.
The old courthouse is currently under construction.
Me Coutant-Peyre took the opportunity to unveil his line of defense.
"
I remind you beforehand that I sympathize with the suffering of all the victims
", she begins.
“
But this suffering, it shouldn't have happened.
It wouldn't have happened if the intelligence services had done their job properly.
State services have failed,
”she said.
Odious remarks, react several lawyers of the civil parties.
"
I qualified this defense as indecent not that I deny the defense the right to indecency, we are still also in a trial of freedom of expression and therefore I also intend to give the defense all his freedom of speech,
proclaims Me Patrick Klugman, who represents hostages of the Hyper Cacher.
But I in the place I occupy I have every right to say that it is indecent and I hope that they will bear the legal cost of this indecency which is a miserable way of discarding themselves.
Wretched.
Because at least when we are there because we had a religious conviction which has madly led to killing, at least we assume.
"
Fourteen people
appear, mainly for providing logistical support to the three terrorists.
The trial will resume Thursday with the examination of the personality of the accused.
It will end on November 10.
►
Also to listen: Trial of the terrorist attacks of January 2015: terrorism at the helm for History
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"Charlie Hebdo", Montrouge, Hyper Cacher: the trial of the attacks opens this Wednesday