Is this trial that of “
aid to migrants
”, of the “
offense of solidarity
” as Cédric Herrou proclaims, or is it that of simple common law offenses?
This Wednesday, the Court of Cassation must rule on the release of Cédric Herrou on appeal, in a trial where the latter was prosecuted for having conveyed migrants from Italy.
The Lyon prosecutor's office is at the origin of the appeal.
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The migrant ferry business began in August 2016 with the first arrest of Cédric Herrou, taking eight undocumented migrants in his van across the border.
Several actions followed.
The justice had hesitated to prosecute the accused, finding first of "
humanitarian intentions
", then sentenced him in February 2017 to a fine of 3,000 euros, relaxing him nevertheless for the movement of illegal aliens.
On appeal, the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal sentenced the farmer to four months suspended prison sentence for the passage of some two hundred migrants from Italy to France.
The latter were mainly Eritreans and Sudanese.
Cédric Herrou had organized a reception camp on his own land.
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A referral to the Constitutional Council then enshrined, on July 6, 2018, the "
constitutional principle of fraternity and freedom to help others for humanitarian purposes
", and after several trials, Cédric Herrou was released from the prosecution in this case in May. 2020. But the Lyon Public Prosecutor's Office has decided to appeal to the Supreme Court.
An appeal which for Sabrina Goldman, lawyer of Cédric Herrou, was "
a ridiculous and appalling relentlessness
."
The defense then regretted "
all this time and all these means put at the service of the prosecutions against Cédric Herrou by the Justice
".
On Tuesday February 23, the activist was also sentenced by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal to a suspended fine of 2,000 euros for public insult against the deputy LR Éric Ciotti.
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