There are those who know the truth, those who are denied it, and those who prefer not to know.
It has been two years since the scandal of a mass grave in the temple of French anatomy, the Center du don des corps de l'Université Paris-Descartes, was revealed by an investigation by
L'Express
.
Two years that the relatives of donors have struggled to understand in what sordid conditions ended the remains of a husband, a mother or a grandfather who aspired, in a final gesture, to advance science.
Families gather in their memory this Saturday at the Parisian cemetery of Thiais, where the ashes of donors are scattered.
Already 170 complaints have been filed with the Paris prosecutor's office.
Read also Paris-Descartes: how the donation of the body to science currently works
Rats in the corridors, an unusable cold room and pieces of rotten corpses that pile up in a terrible smell ... When Laurence Dezélée discovered in 2019 the horror that was playing out behind the walls of the fifth floor of the Parisian faculty, she immediately tried to find out the fate of her mother, Marie-France, who died in 2015. As soon as the
L'Express
investigation was published
, the representatives of the university signed up to a cooperative process, promising to provide the files of relatives. But since then, the former president of the university from 2011 to 2019, Frédéric Dardel, has been indicted and the doors have been closed. "
He refuses to tell me what they did with my mother's body and invokes medical confidentiality, which legally does not hold
», Sighs the one who has become the spokesperson for the Charnier Paris-Descartes, Justice and Dignity (CDJD) association.
"
The revelations were a second mourning
"
According to official regulations, the cadaver should be used by medical students to practice human dissection as well as by surgeons wishing to test experimental techniques or protocols. However, a report from the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS) confirmed that some were sent for crash tests in the automotive sector. According to
France 2
, bodies were also used during military experiments ... A purpose far removed from that for which the donors had signed. Worse, the dilapidated condition of the cold room meant that some bodies were simply unusable. The president of the association, Baudoin Auffret, whose father died in 2017, chose not to ask for more explanations. "
I did not try to recover his file because I do not trust what the University will tell me.
"And to confide:"
I am afraid because, having the information, some have plunged into a chasm.
The revelations were a second mourning.
"
Read also Paris-Descartes: the university made bodies available for crash tests and military experiments
The 130 or so members of the association support each other today in the “
long-distance race
” of the legal process. Since the opening of a judicial investigation in July 2020, four people have been indicted for "
attacking the integrity of a corpse
": Frédéric Dardel - who left the presidency of the university to join the cabinet of Frédérique Vidal, before taking the head of Inserm -, the University of Paris as a legal person and two former anatomy preparers. Beyond the many breaches of ethics noted on working time, one of the preparers is accused of having taken to his home eight skulls, bones and 89 mandibles of donors, according to the minutes consulted by
Le Figaro
.
But for his lawyer Maître Antoine Van Rie, his client must not become a “
scapegoat by virtue of his function conferred on him by his proximity to bodies.
I recall that in this system, it was, a long time ago, only a simple performer.
"
A state scandal?
How far in the hierarchy were we informed of the dilapidated premises and the excesses of the center of the rue des Saints-Pères? The existence of the mass grave dates back, according to
Paris-Match
, to 1988 and has continued despite repeated alerts since at least 2013. This raises the question of the responsibility of other figures of the institution: Professor Guy Vallancien, director of the CDC from 2004 to 2014, Axel Khan, president of the University from 2007 to 2011 and since deceased, Gérard Friedlander, dean since 2014 ... “
My client has, rightly, the impression of being responsible for all the inertia of previous presidents
”, observes Frédéric Dardel's lawyer, Maître Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, who adds:“
the entire hierarchical chain was informed, if only by the non-standard requests for financing the renovation work. However, for the moment, judges are interested in the bottom of the scale, while the state has a huge share of responsibility.
"
For Maître Frédéric Douchez, who represents the association of relatives, a real “
omerta
” has reigned within the prestigious Parisian faculty. Faced with this “
octopus
”, he regrets
the
government's “
insensitivity
” towards families. Two representatives of the ministries of higher education and health attended each board of directors when the unsanitary conditions of the center were mentioned. Yet Frédérique Vidal waited for the publication of the
L'Express
investigation
to close the center in December 2019. And she did not respond to the two letters sent by the families.
While waiting for the trial, where all those who have had “
directly or indirectly responsibilities
” will have to answer for their acts, those close to the donors do not despair.
Saturday's rally aims to reiterate their determination to get the truth.
"
We will not let go
, warns Baudoin Auffret.
We still mourn our loved ones, we must restore the honor that was violated.
"