There will certainly be some sorrowful spirits to find fault with the good conduct of the trial of the attacks of November 13.
But the general opinion is that everyone salutes the exemplary nature of its progress.
"Everything was done to ensure that the trial went well and it went well," says Marie-Claude Desjeux, president of the National Federation of Victims of Attacks and Collective Accidents (FENVAC).
"We were heading into the unknown and today, we can only be delighted with the excellent progress of the trial", adds Arthur Dénouveaux, president of the Life for Paris association.
“I expected to hear a lot less. If I had been asked to describe the ideal trial, I would not have even dared to imagine the one we experienced”.
Better, the V13 trial, as lawyers call it, "
To read: Trial of the November 2015 attacks: "I was afraid of spectacular and excessive justice"
The beginnings of this extraordinary trial, however, gave rise to some fears on the side of the organization.
The first hearing, on September 8, 2021, had started nearly an hour late due to sound problems.
The interpreters, equipped with microphones, remained inaudible to the audience.
The lawyers, called one by one to quote their clients, were repeatedly summoned by the president to speak closer to the microphone.
No Wi-Fi available for journalists in the press room.
Problems also with the web radio provided for remote listeners.
And, in the room, recriminations from lawyers for the civil party concerning the trial schedule.
“A little patience, had then launched a lawyer imbued with wisdom, things will be done, everyone is running in.”
"The organization is the greatest success of this trial"
Very quickly, everyone was able to see that this message with prophetic contours had finally come true in the following days, the logistical problems being resolved one after the other.
To the point that "the organization is the greatest success of this trial", believes Marie-Claude Desjeux.
She showed no flaws." And this despite the health crisis that came to spoil the party. "The remarkable and even exemplary nature of this trial is largely linked to the long preparatory work that was carried out upstream with the lawyers, the professionals in charge of organizing the trial and the victims' associations," continues Philippe Duperron. This collaborative work has even made it possible to set up hitherto unpublished systems: a web radio, online psychological assistance for victims,
and in the rows of the courtroom, a system of colored badges to distinguish the role of each, and in particular the victims who wish to speak (green cord), and those who refused (red cord) to speak to the press (orange cord).
"These devices, like the web radio, have worked so well that they will be used for the trial of the Nice attacks which opens on September 5th".
Another unanimously welcomed point: the large place given to victims.
Their word was indeed relayed for five weeks in October and then another week in May.
"If some were able to criticize a certain slowness of the calendar, it is also necessary to recognize the unusual place which was given to the complainants by President Jean-Louis Périès, who allowed everyone to express themselves", rejoices Philippe Duperron .
One downside all the same: "It is a pity that certain words of anger and hatred have not been relayed in the media in the same way as humanist messages, regrets Arthur Dénouveaux. Dominated by the spirit 'you will not have my hatred' [from the name of the book by Antoine Leiris, who became a widower after the Bataclan attack, editor's note],
testimonies of anger and hatred have been concealed even though they are also part of humanity.
We sometimes showed a world in which we would like to live and not the world in which we live".
14:28
From a technical point of view, it is also necessary to note the exceptional financial means set up for the attention of the victims so that they can come to the trial.
In addition to the reimbursement of transport costs (car, train, plane), accommodation and meals for each hearing, each civil party was able to benefit from an appearance allowance of 42.50 euros per day, to which can be added compensation for loss of salary.
"Even if there were some hiccups, particularly in the slowness of reimbursements and the modality of supporting documents, we can only welcome the fact that the State has put a lot of money into this trial", wishes to recall Philippe Duperron.
"The fabulous work of lawyers"
Still on the side of the civil party, the quality of the work of the victims' lawyers has also been widely recognized.
"In general, all the civil party lawyers were brilliant, with a few exceptions. This choral work allowed everyone to be represented without the 400 lawyers each having to plead, admits Philippe Duperron. "Their Above all, his work has been fabulous in accompanying the victims during these six years of preparation, adds Arthur Dénouveaux.
Because during the trial, the lawyers sometimes seemed to have trouble finding their place.
They were less well placed than the victims themselves to describe the suffering and less well placed than the experts to discuss the mechanisms of terrorism and radicalization.
In the end, there was little room left for legal jurisdiction".
"It's a very good thing that the defense lawyers are brilliant, it shows the strength of democracy, we are not in Guantanamo", believes Bruno Poncet, survivor of the Bataclan # assassinat 13novembre2015 pic.twitter.com/cqe5Nng77D
– Aude Abback-Mazoué (@audemazoue) June 23, 2022
The quality of the trial also had a lot to do with the work of the defence.
“The first statements by the defendants could have raised fears of heated exchanges between the lawyers, explains Marie-Claude Desjeux. But in the end, the defense lawyers, although young, managed to make their work understood to the point of having it admitted. of all".
Bruno Poncet, survivor of the Bataclan, was also delighted with this "exceptional" quality of the defense.
"The defendants are defended by admirable people. It's important, it shows that the answer to barbarism can only be democracy and justice," he explained on Friday, leaving Martin Vettes' pleading. and Olivia Ronen, lawyers for Salah Abdeslam.
Jean-Louis Périès, "the benevolent authority" of the trial
Special mention to the president of the specially composed court, Jean-Louis Périès.
"Throughout the trial, his attitude was remarkable," said Philippe Duperron.
He always showed a benevolent authority and reframed when necessary to facilitate the exchanges". And Arthur Dénouveaux added: "His introductory remarks of September 8 on the need to judge the accused in the judicial norm, despite the exceptional nature of the trial, remains the strongest image I keep".
Are there any regrets at the end of this river trial?
"There can only be regrets when you have expectations, judge Philippe Duperron. Within 13onze15, we worked on the idea that you shouldn't have expectations to avoid disappointment. Some don't will not fail to feed some frustrations because we have not had the confessions of each other. But a trial does not provide all the answers. Admittedly, Salah Abdeslam has not said everything. The question of his sincerity is at the heart of heart of all the questions. But what matters is that the trial took place and that the defendants were able to hear the victims. Above all, the trial allowed us to evolve. I personally better understood the last minutes of my son Thomas , died two hours after leaving the Bataclan. We did not stay ten months in this 'liner'
The civil party doubts that Abdeslam has remorse.
#trial13november pic.twitter.com/oWq7kYMqDU
– Aude Abback-Mazoué (@audemazoue) March 30, 2022
Point of view shared by Arthur Dénouveaux: "There are indeed a few shortcomings in this trial, in particular in the Belgian investigation with these police officers who did not have the courtesy to come. But there are still some beautiful moments of fraternity. Seeing the accused in a free appearance fraternizing with civil parties at the end of the hearings remains a very beautiful moment of justice".
And Marie-Claude Desjeux to conclude: "This trial has made us all grow".
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