French courts jail 217 people after riots — Dawn
In France, courts are fast-tracking cases involving defendants linked to the riots that took place amid protests last weekend. According to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, courts sent 217 people to prison to serve sentences out of about 2,700 people detained since Saturday, Dawn reports.
The government explains the expedited court procedures by the need to restore order after one of the most serious outbreaks of urban violence in recent years. At the same time, courts are overloaded, and some lawyers consider the scale of such hearings to be a manifestation of state repression.
Harsh sentences
Darmanin said that about half of those imprisoned had no criminal records. According to him, they are mostly men aged 18 to 25, and the number of convictions may rise as new hearings are held.
Mathilde B., a 19-year-old student, received a five-month suspended prison sentence. François D., 20, was sentenced to eight months in prison, two months of which he must spend in custody. Police found brass knuckles and a switchblade in his bag and, according to law enforcement, the pair discussed “guerrilla warfare” and beating police officers on social media.
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Manuel, a 21-year-old cook with no previous convictions, was sentenced to two months in prison and an additional six-month suspended sentence. During his arrest near the site where the demonstration began, police found glass bottles, rags, and a lighter on him.
Criticism from lawyers
Paris lawyer Romain Ruiz, a member of the Colere noire collective, accused the justice minister of pressuring judges to impose harsher punishments and of publicly approving the imprisonment of young people. He said the collective opposes turning the justice system into an instrument of repression.
Lawyer Tristan Lawless, who represents a defendant in Melun, said that the 50-page case file had, in his view, been prepared hastily, and that reports are often unclear and lack sufficient details. He also claimed that his client was beaten in custody.
