nearly a hundred civil complaints declared inadmissible

The Paris Special Assize Court rendered its decision on the civil aspect, setting how much the damages will amount to, and to whom they will be paid.

The special anti-terrorism court of Paris has handed down its decision on the civil aspect of the trial for the attack on the Strasbourg Christmas market. Of the 226 requests for civil parties, nearly a hundred were declared inadmissible, reported Thursday May 9 France Bleu Alsace, which was able to consult the decision. The main accused, Audrey Mondjehi, is ordered to pay nearly 300,000 euros in total to the civil parties.

The court considered that to be legally recognized as a direct victim, one must have been “directly exposed to a risk of death or physical harm”that is to say, having found oneself “in the different streets taken by the terrorist when he committed his crime”and be able to prove it.

Thus, the special anti-terrorism court of Paris declared inadmissible the requests of people who were in buildings, businesses, bars or restaurants because they “were safe” even if they have “felt legitimate anxiety”. Also declared inadmissible were the requests from people who intervened after the terrorist attack, even when they came to the aid of the victims.

Requests to form a civil party have been admissible for “victims by ricochet“: parents, children, spouses, brothers or sisters of deceased or injured people, or who have been able to prove the closeness of their relationships.

“The court had a somewhat restrictive vision”

Many rejected candidates announce their intention to appeal this decision, reports France Bleu Alsace. “The court had a somewhat restrictive vision”, deplores Me Claude Lienhardt. More than twenty of his clients were declared inadmissible. “The victims who were at the crime scenes, who did not come across Cherif Chekatt but who saw deceased people […] have psychological difficulties today”underlines the lawyer.

Me Lienhardt also points out the route of the attacker in the small streets of the city center: “We did not take into account the terror which was suffered that evening in the island ellipse. The magistrates did not know the specificity of Strasbourg, there was no reconstruction. I think that if the had the trial been held here and not in Paris, we might have had a different decision.”

On December 11, 2018, the Strasbourg attack perpetrated by Cherif Chekatt left five people dead and eleven injured. The attacker was killed by the police two days after the incident. The criminal trial ended on April 4, after five weeks of hearings. Audrey Mondjehi, the main accused, was sentenced to 30 years of criminal imprisonment, with a two-thirds security sentence. The 42-year-old accused was found guilty of terrorist conspiracy, due to his “very close” with the assailant Cherif Chekatt, and because he “had knowledge of [sa] violent radicalization, declared the president of the Paris Assize Court. He appealed.