Trial for murder of teacher Samuel Paty begins in France

The trial of eight people who allegedly helped the perpetrator in the brutal murder of history teacher Samuel Paty began in a Paris court on Monday, four years after the incident.

The crime, classified as an Islamist-motivated terrorist act, shocked France and sparked international outrage.

In October 2020, the suspect, an 18-year-old with Russian-Chechen origins, killed and beheaded the 47-year-old Paty in a Paris suburb. French security forces subsequently shot and killed the assailant.

Before the killing, the history teacher had been targeted online for showing caricatures of the prophet Mohammed during a class on the subject of freedom of expression.

Seven men and one woman are charged, including two friends of the perpetrator who, according to the indictment, were privy to his plans. Both are said to have accompanied him when purchasing weapons, and one is also alleged to have driven him to the crime scene. They are charged with aiding and abetting a terrorist murder. They face life imprisonment.

The other defendants include the father of the pupil who is said to have circulated accusations against Paty on social media, as well as a man who reportedly posted videos of the killing on social networks.

The trial is expected to last until December 20. The defendants are charged with forming a criminal terrorist organization and face up to 30 years in prison.

Almost a year ago, in a separate trial, six pupils were convicted in a juvenile court for their involvement in the events leading up to the bloodshed.

Five of them received suspended sentences and one pupil was sentenced to six months in prison.