Eight individuals have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to sixteen years for their involvement in the murder of Samuel Paty. Over four years ago, the French teacher, aged 47, was beheaded by a Muslim extremist.
Prosecutors initially sought sentences of 1 to 16 years, but the final penalties were generally harsher, with some including suspended sentences. The attack occurred after Paty showed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed during a lesson on freedom of speech and blasphemy in October 2020.
A radicalized 18-year-old Chechen learned of this on social media, ambushed Paty near his school northwest of Paris, and murdered him on the street, before being shot dead by police. Among the convicted are friends of the attacker who assisted in procuring weapons, and one suspect is accused of belonging to a terrorist group.
Another suspect, the father of one of the teenagers convicted last year, initiated an online hate campaign prior to the murder. The six teenagers received suspended sentences for their roles in the attack, with five found guilty of following and identifying Paty to the killer.
The sixth teenager falsely claimed to her father that she was suspended for criticizing Paty and that he asked Muslims to leave the classroom before showing the cartoons. Her father posted a video with these falsehoods, revealing the school’s location in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and calling for action against Paty.
In response to the murder, France enacted a new law against Muslim extremism and increased penalties for threatening public officials. Sharing private information that endangers someone now carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, under the ‘Samuel Paty clause.’ Paty has been honored with posthumous awards, including the Légion d’Honneur, and several schools have been named after him.
Source: NOS