13-November: "To kneel down so that the accused can speak, it is to be held hostage"

Margaux Baralon 09:44, September 08, 2021

INTERVIEW

The trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015 opens this Wednesday and should allow, for nine months, to shed light on the attacks and the role of the accused. Twenty will be judged in total, including 14 physically present. Will they talk? Recognize responsibilities or, on the contrary, defend themselves from them? Is it possible that they remain silent? For Me Gérard Chemla, lawyer for a hundred civil parties, we should not be too illusory but believe in justice at all costs.

Salah Abdeslam, for example, did not say anything during the investigation.

And it is likely that he will continue during the hearing.

"Nothing should be expected," warns Me Chemla.

“To kneel down in front of one or the other so that he can speak is to take himself hostage. These people have taken the entire Bataclan hostage.

"Justice must pass"

Salah Abdeslam had already appeared in Belgium, since he was indicted in the dossier of the Brussels attacks.

There, he only appeared before the judges once to say that he did not recognize Belgian justice and was not going to cooperate.

For Me Chemla, "justice must pass and it must pass regardless of what the accused do. The accused can gesticulate, tell us that they do not recognize us, say nothing, it does not matter. It does not matter. We must be free from this. If we wait for them to speak, we put ourselves at their mercy. "

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The main accused of November 13 has changed lawyers many times, either because they threw in the towel in front of his silence, or because he rejected them.

Today, he is defended by Me Olivia Ronen, a 31-year-old criminal lawyer little known to the general public, appointed a year ago.

The latter refuses to communicate on any defense strategy.

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