Eight Sentenced Up to 16 Years for Roles in 2020 Murder of French Teacher Samuel Paty

Dec 20, 2024, 08:11 PM

On December 20, after a seven-week trial, the Special Assize Court of Paris delivered its verdicts in the case of the 2020 assassination of French teacher Samuel Paty, whose murder shocked France. Eight individuals were convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from one year to 16 years for their roles in the crime, with sentences exceeding the prosecution's requests. The two friends of the assailant, Naïm Boudaoud and Azim Epsirkhanov, were found guilty of complicity in assassination and each sentenced to 16 years in prison. The father of a student, who initiated a campaign against Paty, was sentenced to 13 years, while Islamist preacher Abdelhakim Sefrioui received a 15-year sentence, both convicted of participating in a 'terrorist criminal association.' Four others were convicted of involvement in the online hate campaign against Paty and received sentences ranging from one to four years. Samuel Paty was beheaded near his school in a Paris suburb in October 2020 by an 18-year-old extremist of Chechen origin, after showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson on freedom of expression. The assailant was killed by police the same day. Following the verdict, Thibault de Montbrial, lawyer for Samuel Paty's family, stated, 'Tonight, the Republic has won.'