French judicial records and official announcements

Eight Convicted in Samuel Paty Murder, Sentenced Up to 16 Years

Dec 20, 2024, 07:43 PM

A French anti-terrorism court in Paris has convicted eight individuals for their roles in the 2020 beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, following a seven-week trial. The verdicts, delivered on December 20, 2024, resulted in sentences ranging from one year to 16 years in prison. The two friends of the killer, Naïm Boudaoud and Azim Epsirkhanov, were found guilty of complicity in murder and sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. The father of a schoolgirl who initiated an online campaign against Paty received a 13-year prison sentence, while Islamist preacher Abdelhakim Sefrioui was sentenced to 15 years for inciting hatred. The court's decisions exceeded the prosecution's recommendations, reflecting the severity of the defendants' roles in the assassination. Samuel Paty was killed in 2020 after showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson on free speech.