France: end of the trial of the January 2015 attacks, the verdict expected Wednesday
Sketch of the hearing representing the fourteen defendants and their lawyers, September 2, 2020, the first day of the trial of the January 2015 attacks. BENOIT PEYRUCQ / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The trial of the January 2015 attacks in France ended on Monday, December 14, in Paris.
The Paris Special Assize Court withdrew to deliberate.
It was the 54th day of the hearing, three months after the start of the trial.
A day marked by the last arguments of the defense.
And as is the procedure, the 11 accused present had the floor last.
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With our special correspondent at the Special Assize Court of Paris,
Laura Martel
Everyone first had words for the victims.
"
My compassion is sincere,
" points out
Abdelaziz Abbad
, "
but I have no connection with the ailments from which you suffer and therefore I cannot pass from compassion to apologies
".
Like him, the
accused
pleaded their innocence one last time.
Some have mentioned a hope, that of having been heard for Willy Prevost, or of being able to find their children for the Belgian deans, but most have above all expressed their fears: “
For 6 years, we have always been at the stage of hypotheses, so I would like to have confidence in justice but I am afraid
, underlines
Saïd Makhlouf
,
really afraid that the political side will win.
"
"
I've never been so afraid in my life,
" confesses Michael Pastor in turn.
“
You have to believe me, I have nothing to do with all that,
” he says to the court before bursting into tears.
"
You have the rest of my life in your hands, do not judge the wrong man
", pleads, him,
Miguel Martinez
.
And to evoke this woman of victim, come to tell her that she believed it: "
Thank you Madam, I wanted to tell you that it made me good and that you were not mistaken about me
", assures- he .
As for
Ali Riza Polat
, against whom the prosecution requested life imprisonment, it is with indignation and anger that he claims his innocence.
"
The victims are demanding justice, but you the prosecution is the revenge that you seek
", he thunders, before being interrupted by the president.
Amar Ramdani
then protests for his box neighbor.
For himself, the emotion is too strong, he sits down and cries.
Verdict expected this Wednesday.
►
To read also: Trial of the attacks of January 2015 in France: the defense is armored
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