Highlights: Yvan Colonna was serving a life sentence for the murder of Prefect Claude Érignac in 1998. His attacker, Franck Elong Abé, claims that the Corsican activist blasphemed and "misspoke of the Prophet" The two men should never have been alone for ten minutes in a gym in Arles prison, says the report. The report points to "serious failures" and a series of general "malfunctions" and calls for the resignation of Emmanuel Macron.

France: the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the death of Yvan Colonna points to "serious failures"

The parliamentary commission in charge of investigating the death of Corsican independence activist Yvan Colonna, assaulted in prison, has just issued its report. Yvan Colonna who was serving a life sentence for the murder of Prefect Claude Érignac in 1998. The report points to "serious failures" and a series of general "malfunctions".

Jean-Felix Acquaviva (Liot MP for Haute-Corse), president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the death after his assault in prison in March 2022 of Yvan Colonna, alongside rapporteur Laurent Marcangeli (deputy of Corse-du-Sud, Horizons), in Paris on May 30, 2023. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD

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The report reviews the circumstances of the very violent attack in March 2022 of Yvan Colonna who succumbed to his injuries in hospital three weeks later.

His attacker, Franck Elong Abé, claims that the Corsican activist blasphemed and "misspoke of the Prophet". But the two men should never have been alone for ten minutes in a gym in Arles prison.

Franck Elong Abé is a 36-year-old radicalized man convicted in a terrorist case. He had fought with the Taliban in Afghanistan in the early 2010s, and multiplied incidents in prison. A detainee particularly monitored (DPS), but also registered as an Islamist terrorist (TIS).

Franck Elong Abé was the only detainee in France with both DPS status and registered as an Islamist terrorist to work in the "general service", which allowed him autonomy of movement, unlike work in a workshop. Franck Elong Abé has never been to the radicalization assessment unit despite eight requests, and has not been properly monitored for his psychiatric disorders.

Because Yvan Colonna "should never have died in prison at the hands of one of his fellow prisoners", the first recommendation of the rapporteur Laurent Marcangeli is "symbolic": the State must commit "formally" to the family reunification of Corsican prisoners, by doing the necessary security work at the Borgo prison (Haute-Corse). He hoped that the remaining "grey areas" would be removed by the judicial investigation, which is still ongoing.

" READ ALSO – France: the Corsican independence activist Yvan Colonna died

"Two prefects in activity" would have welcomed the attack of Yvan Colonna

The president of this commission on the attack on Yvan Colonna, the Corsican nationalist deputy Jean-Félix Acquaviva communicated, in the annexes of the report, what he presents as exchanges "between prefects in activity", which would have taken place "between March 10 and March 11, 2022", "at the time of the decision to lift the status of detainees particularly reported (DPS) of Alain Ferrandi and Pierre Alessandri, following the fatal assault of Yvan Colonna on March 2, 2022."

This decision was made on March 11, after the DPS status of Yvan Colonna, who was serving a life sentence for the assassination of Prefect Érignac, was lifted on March 8 by the then Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to allow visits of his relatives in hospital.

In these exchanges, whose authors' names have been replaced by the letters X and Y, to guarantee "absolute respect for sources," says Mr. Acquaviva, one of the authors indicates that "Fernandel kills Érignac a second time", in reference to Mr. Castex's decision to lift Yvan Colonna's DPS status.

His interlocutor replied that "Mr. should resign", seeming to refer to Emmanuel Macron whose presidency mandate he describes as "shame and dishonor".

X adds by assuring that "the other detainee", that is to say Franck Elong Abe, "did only what the State should have done at the time", also calling for "a national referendum on the independence of Corsica", as was "done for Algeria".

It calls for the resignation of Mr. Castex, considering that he has "betrayed the State", or failing that, the resignation of Emmanuel Macron.

It was not worth forcing us to make Érignac rooms everywhere if it is to piss on his memory today, "reacts X.

(With AFP)

LIVE | Press conference - Presentation of the report of the Commission of Inquiry responsible for shedding light on the dysfunctions that led to the assassination of Yvan Colonna https://t.co/nGvRshWBbZ

France: the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the death of Yvan Colonna points to "serious failures"

France: the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the death of Yvan Colonna points to "serious failures"

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