French Students Involved in 'Teacher Beheading' Given Suspended Sentences... 'Bereaved Families Protest'

2020 Middle School Teacher Murder Case Accomplices Indicted
All Sentenced to 6 Months to 3 Years Imprisonment with Probation
Bereaved Family: "Serious Matter... Sentence Too Light"

French students who killed a teacher for teaching freedom of expression during class were all found guilty in court. However, the court gave them suspended sentences, and the teacher's family strongly opposed the sentence, saying it was too lenient.

In 2020, Samuel Paty (47), a geography teacher working at Boisdon Middle School in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a suburb of Paris, was beheaded by Abdullakh Anzorov (18), a Chechen Muslim refugee. The reason was that Paty had used cartoons from the weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo, which satirized the founder of Islam, Muhammad, in a debate class.

Five teenagers who stood trial this time were charged as accomplices of Anzorov. According to local reports, under French law, the identities of minor defendants are not disclosed.

These students, who were 14 to 15 years old at the time of the crime, were investigated for helping the crime by luring Paty outside the school. Another female student is accused of spreading false information online, claiming that “Paty asked Muslim students to leave the classroom before showing the cartoons, and punished her when she protested this.”

Citizens commemorating French teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in a terrorist attack by a Muslim refugee youth in 2015 [Image source=Yonhap News]

One 14-year-old male student testified during police investigation that he received 300 euros (about 400,000 KRW) and provided the perpetrator with information about Paty’s appearance and departure time. On the 16th, Anzorov called this student in front of the school, handed him 300 euros in cash, and asked about Paty. Paty was found three hours later near the school with his head separated from his body, and Anzorov was shot dead by police at the crime scene.

The student said, “The perpetrator’s French accent was rough, but he had no weapons and didn’t seem dangerous, so I gave him the information.” He also boasted about the bundles of money he received from the perpetrator to close friends. He testified during police investigation, “I didn’t expect this to happen and I sincerely regret it.”

According to foreign media on the 9th (local time), the court sentenced five of the six defendants to suspended prison terms of two to three years. They were ordered to attend school or work during the suspension period. They will also receive follow-up education with their parents to prevent recurrence. The student who received the lightest sentence was sentenced to six months in prison with house arrest and was also ordered to wear an electronic ankle bracelet.

In response, Paty’s family protested. Virginie Le Roy, the lawyer representing Paty’s side, said, “It is a very serious matter that an ordinary man was beheaded in France in 2020,” and added, “This court ruling will send a bad message to the deceased’s family, his students, and fellow teachers.”

Meanwhile, the Charlie Hebdo editorial office, whose cartoons Paty used in class, was attacked by Islamic extremists in 2015 for allegedly degrading Muhammad in a vulgar manner. Ten staff members and two police officers died in that incident.