The trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015 opens on Wednesday September 8. A trial of unprecedented scale in France. One hundred and thirty people were killed, and more than 400 were injured by terrorists, who claimed to be part of the Islamic State group. Among the victims, French of course but also foreigners. Their families had to face a series of difficulties in order to be present at the trial.
The mother and sister of Luis Felipe Zschoche, a young Chilean killed in Bataclan, did not know until the last minute whether they would be able to go to court. They were initially warned rather late that the trial was going to open this week, explains Rosario Zschoche, Luis Felipe’s sister. We met her with her mother in Viña del Mar, about a hundred kilometers from Santiago. “The parents of my sister-in-law, Cécile Misse who was also killed, contacted my mother two or three months ago, to tell her that it was going to start soon., explains Rosario Zschoche. So it was extra-official: it came neither from the French consulate nor from the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “
Finally, they obtained a safe-conduct to be able to enter France on time, despite the health restrictions. But they still have a lot of questions. For example, the question of translation, because they speak little French. And then, another difficulty, they are not yet officially recognized as civil parties.
Nancy Valle, Luis Felipe’s mother, began to decipher information written by a victims’ association. She received this document from her son’s in-laws: “Everything is in French. I translated it as best I could. But without a lawyer, I don’t really understand. We don’t have a lot of information on the trial, we are just getting ready to go. inquire a little more. “
Nancy is expected to stay in France for the duration of the trial, probably until the end of May. But Rosario is due to return to Chile at the end of September, and she does not yet know if she will be able to follow the hearings remotely, in Spanish.