Paris – Almost six years after the deadly attack on the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and in a Jewish supermarket, 14 people have been convicted by a Paris court for aiding the three killers.
During the trial, the court met as brothers Saïd and Chérif Kouachi entered the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015 and killed 11 people, including eight editors.
As they fled the scene, the brothers killed a policeman who had been placed on guard outside after the publication received numerous threats related to the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that the likeness of the prophet should not be shown or published and many felt offended.
Two days later, Amedy Coulibaly, who had been in close contact with the Kouachi brothers, attacked the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Vincennes, a suburb on the outskirts of Paris. Coulibaly took hostages and employees hostage, killing four men in a clash that lasted several hours and ended in his death as police stormed the building.
The Kouachis were also killed in a separate shootout with police.
Michel Euler / AP
Hayat Boumeddiene, a colleague of Coulibaly, was found guilty of terrorist association and terrorist financing. Boumeddiene, who has been on the run since the attacks, was tried in absentia and sentenced to 30 years in prison. French media reported that she was seen a few months ago in an Islamic State camp in Syria, and is believed to still be in that region.
Only 11 of the defendants were in court for trial. Brothers Mohamed and Mehdi Belhoucine are missing in Syria and presumed dead and were convicted in absentia. Mohamed Belhoucine, who wrote Coulibaly’s oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group, was found guilty of complicity in Coulibaly’s crimes; Mehdi Belhoucine was found guilty of being part of a criminal terrorist network.
Coulibaly’s friend Ali Riza Polat, accused of helping prepare the attack on the supermarket, was convicted of being an accessory in terrorist offenses and sentenced to 30 years in prison. His lawyers have already promised to appeal.
The president of the court, who handed down the verdict, noted that for procedural reasons, some of the defendants could not be tried for anti-Semitic crimes, but stressed that it was clear that Coulibaly attacked this supermarket because he was Jewish.
The other defendant faced various charges, including providing material support, financing himself, buying weapons and purchasing a getaway car, and was sentenced to between 4 and 20 years in prison.
The trial should have ended on November 10, but it had to be postponed twice when several people, including one of the defendants, tested positive for COVID-19[feminine.
Quan el judici obert el 2 de setembre, Charlie Hebdo va tornar a publicar alguns dels dibuixos animats, sota el títol “Tout ça pour ça” – “Tot això per això”.
AFP / Getty
“No cedirem mai”, va prometre un desafiador Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau, director de Charlie Hebdo, en aquell moment. “I no ens rendirem mai”. Ara el diari funciona des d’una ubicació secreta, molt vigilada, i els periodistes continuen rebent amenaces.