Attacks of November 13: the highlights of the river trial which opens this Wednesday

It is a real judicial marathon in which the specially composed Assize Court sets off on Wednesday.

Almost six years after the attacks that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more, the trial for the November 13 attacks will open at midday at the Île de la Cité courthouse.

It must be held for nine months, every afternoon from Tuesday to Friday.

A suspension should however take place for the anniversary date of the attacks, as well as during certain school holidays, such as the end of year celebrations.

Le Figaro

presents the main stages of this river process.

Read also November 13: the extraordinary trial of a devastating terrorist plot

Five weeks reserved for civil parties

From September 28, the court will give the floor to the 1780 civil parties formed, the survivors of the attacks, but also the relatives of the victims killed.

The president has set aside half an hour for each speaking session, or about fourteen hearings per day.

It was chosen to follow the chronological order of the attacks for the passage to the bar.

People linked to the attack on the Stade de France will be heard first, followed by those linked to the attacks on the terraces of Carillon, Petit Cambodge, Café Bonne Bière and Casa Nostra, before hearing the civil parties of the Bataclan .

This last step should be the longest since four full weeks are reserved for it.

The first interrogations of the accused

The court will look from November 2 on the personality of the 20 defendants, the 14 present but also the six judged by default.

They will be questioned about their personal journey, at the same time family, school and professional.

At this stage, therefore, the facts will not yet be discussed.

The questioning on the preparation of the attacks and the role of each in the execution of the latter will not take place before February 2022. One of the keys of the trial will of course be to see if during his interrogations, Salah Abdeslam finally decides to come out of silence.

Holland, Valls, Cazeneuve, Le Drian at the helm

Several figures from the previous five-year term are expected at the helm. They were then at the top of the state when it was necessary to react to the attacks, in particular by declaring a state of emergency. The former President François Hollande will thus come to testify, under high security, on November 10, while the Minister of the Interior at the time Bernard Cazeneuve is expected on the 17th of the same month. Former Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the current Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian are convened on March 30, 2022.

The president of the court considered that their hearing could be of interest to the debates, but some civil parties are worried that this hearing will turn into a political forum.

We remember that in September 2020, the arrival of Anne Hidalgo at the trial of the January 2015 attacks was not unanimous either.

Defense lawyers had left the room believing that "

his place was not there

."

The start of pleadings in April

As required by the Code of Criminal Procedure, it is the 300 or so civil party lawyers who will start the pleadings.

They will begin pleading on April 6 until the 22 of the same month.

Then the national anti-terrorism prosecution (Pnat) will announce what penalties it seeks against the twenty defendants (twelve incur life imprisonment), during a three-vote indictment scheduled for May 2 to 5.

Finally, the defense will have the floor from May 6 to 23.

It is in particular on this occasion that will advance to the bar master Olivia Ronen, the young lawyer of Salah Abdeslam.

A verdict at the end of May

At the end of nine months of hearing, the special assize court must deliver its verdict, and explain the main reasons. At this stage, the reading of the deliberation is scheduled for May 24 and 25, 2022. This is a provisional date. The schedule is subject to change depending on the possible delay taken by the special assize court over the months. The trial of the January 2015 attacks was thus completed with a month's delay, several defendants having contracted Covid-19.