More than 850 civil parties, 133 attorneys, 64 hearing days... Six years after the second-deadliest assault on French territory, the court system will attempt, beginning Monday, to satisfy the expectations of the victims' families. What you need to know about this remarkable trial.
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| [Nice attack trial courtroom] |
Nice, 14 July 2016. A guy driving a 19-tonne truck raced into the throng walking along the Promenade des Anglais just after 10:30 p.m., when the fireworks show commemorating National Day had just concluded. It kills 86 people and injures hundreds more in four minutes and 17 seconds.
Six years after the events, justice will attempt, beginning September 5, to meet the expectations of the family of the victims of the second worst assault on French territory, after the November 13 atrocities.
*8 people called to appear
The unique assize court in Paris requires the presence of seven people, six males and one woman. Brahim Tritrou, the eighth defendant, will have his case prosecuted without him since he violated the terms of his judicial review in 2020.
Only three guys, including Ramzi, The defendants' safe box will include Kevin Arefa, Chokri Chafroud, and Artan Henaj. One of them, the final one, is being detained in connection with another investigation. Maksim Celaj, Endri Elezi, Mohamed Ghraieb, and Enkeledja Zace have all been put under court supervision and will appear free in the future.
Because the offender, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, was murdered by the police after having fired on the police himself, he will not be charged for his crimes. His death brought an end to the judicial proceeding.
*More than 850 civil parties
The incident in Nice resulted in the deaths of 86 people, including 15 children, and wounded more than 400 others. 33 people who were killed had a nationality other than that of the United States (of 10 different nationalities).
At the conclusion of the month of August, a total of 865 persons had initiated civil proceedings. There are representatives from 39 different nationalities among the civic parties.
*64 days of hearing
The hearing will get underway on September 5 at 1:30 in the afternoon. It should continue until the 16th of December.
The hearing will last for a total of sixty-four days. On Tuesday through Friday, it will take place in the morning and afternoon. During the trial that took place on November 13, it took place exclusively in the afternoon.
There will be a five-week testimony period for the civil parties, who include families of the dead and survivors of the incident. It is anticipated that the accused will begin to be questioned by law enforcement officials around the beginning of November.
*133 lawyers
During the course of the trial, the public prosecutor will be represented by three general lawyers named Jean-Michel Bourles, Alexa Dubourg, and Rachel Lecuyer. All three of these individuals also serve in the capacity of deputy anti-terrorism prosecutors in their respective jurisdictions.
The trial will have a total of 133 attorneys participating in it. In more specific terms, party 119 will stand in for the civil parties. In addition, there will be 14 attorneys working on the defense team for the accused.
*A New Use for the “Grand Trial” Room
A really unique courtroom for your very exceptional case. The trial for the attacks that occurred on November 13 will take place in the same courtroom in Paris that will be used for the trial for the attacks that occurred on November 13. A simultaneous presentation of it will take place in one of the rooms of the Acropolis convention center in Nice. Within this area, civil parties have been provided with access to a total of 500 accessible spots.
The courtroom, which was particularly created in the Salle des Pas Perdus of the previous courthouse on the Ile de la Cité in Paris and was dedicated to the "great trial," was named after the event. It has the capacity to house up to 550 people.
Bright and contemporary, the 750 square meter space is mostly constructed out of wood. Because of the length of the chamber - which is around fifty meters - the screens, of which there are a total of eight, are required in order to see the court, the defendants, or the attorneys. The acoustics, which are important for having a strong follow-up on the arguments, were also given a lot of special attention. As it is detachable, it may be gone as soon as the year 2023.
*A filmed trial
The proceedings of the trial are going to be videotaped and documented for archival purposes. The legislation that was passed on July 11, 1985, makes provision for this gadget. In the period that it has been around, it has been used 14 times.
This was the case in especially for the cases relating to the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher, but it was also the case for the trial relating to the assaults on November 13.
*Retransmission from abroad
Civil parties who do not choose to go to Paris or Nice will be able to follow the full trial on a secure web radio with a time delay of around thirty minutes. This will be an option for those civil parties who are unable to travel to Paris or Nice. They are need to make a request for it.
The replay of the online radio program will, in contrast to the test that took place on November 13, be available in other countries and will be accompanied by an English translation.
*Sentences of up to life imprisonment
Ramzi Kevin Arefa, Chokri Chafroud, and Mohamed Ghraieb are the three defendants who are being prosecuted for their affiliation with terrorists. The remaining five suspects are being tried for violations of common law, mostly for trafficking in firearms. An organized gang is not being prosecuted for the murder of another person or the attempted murder of another person by any of the defendants.
Since July of 2016, the Franco-Tunisian man Ramzi Arefa, who is now 27 years old, has been held in pre-trial imprisonment. He is being tried for involvement in a terrorist criminal group as well as breaches of firearms regulations. He is known to the police for common law crimes; however, these are not the charges against him. The most notable accusation against him is that he collaborated with Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel in the weeks leading up to the assault, while the latter was looking for weapons. In particular, he would have played the role of a middleman between the perpetrator of the assault and some of the other defendants who are now being tried for the trafficking of weaponry. Because of his history of criminal recidivism, he is the only defendant who faces the possibility of being sentenced to life in prison.
The other two suspects who are being tried for criminal relationships face a maximum of twenty years in jail if they are found guilty of the charges. The remaining defendants might get jail terms ranging from five to 10 years depending on their specific offenses.