In a highly anticipated verdict, a French court has convicted six teenagers for their involvement in the 2020 beheading of history and geography teacher Samuel Paty near Paris. The sentences, ranging from 14 months to two years, have drawn criticism for being suspended or commuted, meaning none of the defendants will serve jail time.
Paty, aged 47, was brutally attacked by 18-year-old Chechen refugee Abdoullakh Anzorov after false messages spread on social media, alleging that the teacher had shown cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed from Charlie Hebdo. Anzorov was shot dead by police at the scene.
The trial, held behind closed doors due to the defendants’ young ages at the time of the events, involved five teenagers, aged 14 or 15 during the murder. They were charged with criminal conspiracy with intent to cause violence, accused of identifying Paty to the killer in exchange for money. Four received suspended sentences, while the fifth, sentenced to two years, will serve six months with an electronic tag.
A sixth teenager, a 13-year-old girl, was accused of making false allegations about Paty asking Muslim students to leave the classroom before showing the cartoons. She received an 18-month suspended sentence.
Critics, including lawyers representing Paty’s family, expressed dissatisfaction with the leniency of the sentences, describing them as inadequate for a crime of such magnitude. The presiding judge highlighted the teenagers’ roles in providing information about Paty’s routine to the assailant, emphasizing their complicity.
Paty had used Charlie Hebdo cartoons as part of an ethics class discussing free speech laws in France. His murder occurred weeks after the magazine republished the Prophet Mohammed cartoons, echoing the tragic events of 2015 when Islamist gunmen attacked Charlie Hebdo’s offices, resulting in 12 deaths. The recent conviction comes amid heightened concerns over radicalized individuals and violence targeting educators in France.
