Samuel Paty Trial: Friends Sentenced to 16 Years, Preacher Sefrioui Gets 15 Years

Dec 20, 2024, 05:59 PM

After seven weeks of trial, the Special Assize Court of Paris has delivered its verdict in the trial of the assassination of Samuel Paty, the French teacher who was beheaded in 2020 by a young radicalized Chechen Islamist. All eight defendants were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms ranging from one year to 16 years, generally exceeding the prosecutors' requests. Two friends of the killer, Naïm Boudaoud and Azim Epsirkhanov, were convicted of complicity in the assassination and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The Islamist preacher Abdelhakim Sefrioui received a 15-year sentence, while the father of one of Paty's students was sentenced to 13 years for their roles in the campaign of hatred that preceded the murder. Four other accused, involved in the 'djihadisphère,' received sentences of up to 14 years. The court acknowledged the defendants' varying degrees of involvement in the events leading to the killing, which included spreading a 'digital fatwa' against the teacher.