"We can't hear anything!", "The microphone!"
: the historic trial of the attacks against Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher of January 2015 in Paris was disrupted by arms passes on the wearing of the mask as well as by technical problems on its second day, Thursday, September 3.
The latter was devoted to the examination of the personalities of the accused, suspected of being accomplices.
"Can you ask him to repeat his answer to the first question again?"
For the fourth time in an hour, Me Marie-Laure Barré, lawyer for civil parties, interrupts the proceedings before the special assize court for a sound problem.
"Mr. President, something must be done," laments the lawyer, who participates in the hearing from one of the three broadcast rooms, where some speeches are deemed inaudible.
Three courtrooms in addition to the auditorium
More than 200 civil parties, 100 lawyers, 14 defendants: due to the large number of players and compliance with the social distancing rules imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the proceedings are broadcast live in three courtrooms, in addition to the auditorium reserved for the public.
With the start of the coronavirus epidemic, it is a further handicap for the organization of this extraordinary trial, the first in terrorism to be filmed in history, five years after the bloody attacks against Charlie Hebdo , police officers and the Hyper Cacher store.
These attacks left 17 dead and sowed fear and consternation in France and throughout the world.
Five and a half years later, 14 defendants are on trial until November 10, including three in absentia.
All are suspected, to varying degrees, of logistical support to the Saïd and Chérif Kouachi brothers and Amedy Coulibaly, the perpetrators of these attacks killed by the police.
Reminder of wearing a mask, lawyers protest
From the opening of the trial on Wednesday, the president of the special assize court, Régis de Jorna, reminded everyone of the obligation to wear a mask at all times.
Several lawyers were upset, worried that this measure would harm the defense of the accused.
"You are going to judge men whose faces you cannot see", denounced Me Beryl Brown, who defends one of the accused.
This argument was accepted by the court, which decided to allow the respondents and the lawyers to remove their masks to speak.
A decision regretted by Me Christian Saint-Palais, another defense counsel.
"If only one of us is contaminated, the trial will be suspended," he warns, pointing to an incongruity: "We remove the mask only when contamination is possible", via "postilions".
"Bad Company"
Face uncovered, Abdelaziz Abbad, 36, is the first accused Thursday to answer questions from the court.
"I've always said I'm innocent," he says from his window box, short brown hair and a clean shaven.
He claims to have "found himself in this story", which "screwed up his life" because of "bad company".
Suspected of having searched for and transported weapons for the perpetrators of the jihadist attacks of January 2015, this accused has been convicted on numerous occasions for drug trafficking and violence, but never in a terrorist case.
"In view of my career, I would never have been able to adhere to this ideology", maintains in a calm voice the accused.
In his "Muslim family, (Islam) has always been a religion of peace, that's how I was educated".
"For me, religion has never been to assassinate people", asserts Abdelaziz Abbad, whose interrogation will have been cut off by a suspension of hearing and several technical interruptions.
"Hearing suspended"
That of another accused, Michel Catino, 67, was cut short in the middle of the day, after yet another microphone problem.
"In (room) 2.03, can you hear us and do you see us? Obviously, you see us but we can't hear you", annoys President Régis de Jorna after this new interruption, which requires the intervention of a technician.
Several minutes pass, the problems remain.
"Good, the hearing is suspended", slices the president.
In the room, muffled sneers are heard ... under the masks.
With AFP
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