France's 9-11 (November 13) Trial Opens Wednesday

On Wednesday, September 8, the trial against the surviving terrorist and co-conspirators of the November 13, 2015 Bataclan terrorist attack that killed 130 people will begin in Paris. Only one of the actual commandos, Salah Abdeslam, survived and is a defendant. The trial is expected to last until May 2022. Let us hope that justice will prevail for the French people.

The below article from France 24 and Agence France Presse is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.france24.com/fr/france/20210907-attentats-du-13-novembre-2015-les-dessous-d-un-proc%C3%A8s-hors-norme

The November 13 attacks: The undersides of an extraordinary trial

Published September 7, 2021 - 20:56

Bahar Makooi

Caption beneath photo: The temporary courtroom installed in the Palace of Justice of Paris for the trial of the November 13, 2015 attacks. (Agence France Presse archives)

Historic and unprecedented in its size, the trial of the November 13 attacks required more than two years of preparation in order to set up a titanic and highly secure judicial system. Over the course of 9 months, more than 300 witnesses will be heard by the Special Criminal Court of Paris, which will be charged with judging 20 accused, including Salah Abdeslam.

It is the largest criminal hearing ever held in France. In a few days, the trial of the terrorist attacks that produced 130 deaths and 350 injured in Paris and Saint-Denis will begin in the capital.

Beginning September 8 and lasting 9 months, the Special Criminal Court of Paris will be charged with judging 20 accused, including Salah Abdeslam, the lone survivor among the commandos tasked by the organization, Islamic State, in committing terrorist attacks in France. Facing trial, 14 accused will be present, and 6 will be judged in absentia.

A titanic judicial setup was planned because this trial is extraordinary, first of all, because of the elevated number of civil parties: Almost 1,800 people of some 20 different nationalities. Some 300 witnesses will be heard, essentially, next of kin of the victims and some survivors of the attacks, represented by almost as many lawyers.

This trial is also unprecedented in its emotional weight and its length: At least 145 days of hearings are scheduled until May 25, 2022. Holding a trial of this magnitude till its end constitutes a challenge without precedent for the judicial institution, particularly in a time of pandemic and a still-elevated terrorist threat.

A custom-built courtroom

From a logistical point of view, the judicial setup required two years of preparation and the construction of a special, highly-secured courtroom in the heart of the historic Palace of Justice at the l’île de la Cité in Paris.

Caption beneath photo: The large temporary courtroom will be completely dismantled after the trial of the November 13 attacks. (AFP)

This principal courtroom will be able to accommodate up to 550 people. An ultra-modern room, without any windows, custom built in the middle of the famous Salle des Pas Perdus, and eventually removable. About 15 other rooms of the Appellate Court will be able to be utilized to broadcast the arguments according to the number of people, for a total capacity of 2,000 seats. 

A web radio for the civil parties and psychological assistance

From the main room, 8 cameras, technically controlled, will film the entirety of the trial. But no image is supposed to leave the special criminal court because these recordings will be destined exclusively to the audio-visual archives of the (court).

Among the thousands of persons constituting civil parties, those who don't attend the sessions will be able to follow them on a web (internet) radio. This is the first time that a  device of this type will be put in place for a criminal trial. Only the sound will be broadcast, in a slight delay of a half-hour, under ultra-secure conditions. A number for psychological assistance will be placed at the disposition of the listeners.

On the security side, the terrorist threat being persistent, the number of gendarmes and police has not been disclosed, but a considerable security perimeter will be in place, forcing the residents of the quarter and trial participants to (undergo) identity checks.

A million-page investigative file

The first witnesses are expected to take the stand beginning Monday, 13 September. But before that, the president of the court will read his report, summarizing the 542 volumes of the investigative file. (That is) a (file) of a million pages, equivalent to 53 linear meters.

These historical trials filmed for the archives of justice

The victims will take the stand for five weeks, from the end of September to the end of October, telling about this night of horror in 2015. The court will interrogate the fourteen accused beginning in 2022.

 Twelve of the twenty accused are facing life imprisonment. Three accused, against whom, the charges are less serious, are free under judicial supervision.

If the court keeps to its deadlines, the verdict could be rendered in May 2022.