Assassination of Dulcie September in 1988 in Paris: the case under deliberation on December 14

ANC activist Dulcie September, in 1985, before being shot dead at the age of 42 in her party's offices in Paris the following year, on March 29, 1988. AFP - PIERRE VERDY

Text by: RFI Follow

5 mins

Will the truth ever be known?

34 years ago, Dulcie September, who was Nelson Mandela's ANC representative in France, was murdered in the heart of Paris.

The investigation carried out at the time having yielded nothing, the case was closed without further action in 1992. The group of friends of Dulcie September, supported by lawyers, has been fighting since 2019 for the reopening of the file.

A hearing was held this Wednesday, November 16 at the Paris court.

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With our special correspondent in court,

On March 29, 1988, Dulcie September, representative in France of the African National Congress, the ANC of Nelson Mandela, future president then in prison, was assassinated in Paris.

In room 314 of the court, 34 years after the facts in the same French capital, the file was settled in less than an hour, this Wednesday afternoon.

The lawyer for Dulcie September's family – in particular her nephews since she had no children – was given twenty minutes to defend her arguments and question the president of the first chamber.

" 

 ," he said of the victim, opening his argument, playing on emotion, and on the law.

In his quavering voice, he launched: “ 

 »

“We had 34 years of denial of justice”

The French lawyers following this case relied on a specific element of international law to obtain this hearing in court: the law of apartheid, recognized by the French State, but not at the material time.

Concretely, the crimes committed under the South African regime of the time are imprescriptible, in France.

Remarks hammered out at the end of the hearing: France has a responsibility to ensure that justice is done, thanks to a relaunch of the investigation.

The French judicial authorities must take this into account, for once;

let them face this physical elimination, this crime of apartheid.

Has justice been served?

Why does the state refuse to talk to the family?

Since this assassination, we have had the right to 34 years of denial of justice.

Me Laurin's objective: to have it recognized that the State has failed, that it is keeping certain elements secret, in particular by not taking into account that the assassination of Dulcie September is a crime of apartheid, and that, starting from there, nothing prevents us from resuming the investigation.

For relatives of Dulcie September, there was, in fact, a denial of justice: the investigation, at the time, would not have been pushed, before ending on a dismissal, four years later.

The lawyers also highlight the archives of the activist, who at the time was investigating arms contracts between France and South Africa.

►To re-read: South Africa: France would have sold arms to the apartheid regime

“Shocked and frustrated at the same time”

In the process, it was the judicial officer of the State who spoke.

Very briefly, less than five minutes.

He recalled that the entire legal process had been respected between 1988 and 1992, that the family did not lodge any appeal following the dismissal in 1992, that the crime of apartheid does exist in French law, but that it was recorded in 2013 and that there is no retroactivity.

Along the same lines, the prosecutor, who says he " 

 ", recalled the rules of law, and was also surprised that there was no recourse from the family in 1992, following the dismissal.

A technical and legal argument that frustrated the family and friends of Dulcie September present at the hearing.

For Me Laurin, " 

 ".

Rodolphe Arendse, brother-in-law of Dulcie September, confides: “ 

 »

President Belin took the matter under advisement until December 14.

Dulcie September's friends have previously said, “ 

 »

The Dulcie September file was raised by the authorities during President Emmanuel Macron's visit to South Africa in May 2021.

►Read again: Assassination of Dulcie September in Paris: relatives request the reopening of the investigation

“It remains completely frozen”

Jacqueline Lorens is a member of the collective of friends of Lucie September.

His reaction to leaving the hearing:

We always remain at the same cleavage, if I may say so.

On the one hand, there is murder and we want to know the truth about a woman who was murdered while carrying out her job.

And on the other, we have, we are opposed to, the right, the right, the right.

It really feels like the state doesn't want to hear about this crime.

It stays completely frozen.

So, afterwards, we can of course extrapolate, saying: is the secret so heavy that we absolutely do not want to give an explanation for this murder?

Jacquelin Lorens, member of the group of friends of Lucie September

Guillaume Thibault

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