The direct victims, their relatives and the local residents who came to help the victims of the attacks of November 13 while they were taking place are recognized as civil parties in the second part of the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015, indicates the first presidency of the Paris Court of Appeal on Tuesday October 25 in a press release.
She even recognizes the victims of the explosion that occurred on November 18, 2015, in the residence on rue Corbillon/rue de la République in Saint-Denis. It is in this building where had taken refuge the coordinator of the attacks Abdelhamid Abaaoud and his accomplice who died as a suicide bomber during the long and very violent assault of the raid on November 18. Ravaged apartments, then failing support and psychological consequences, especially for children.
These inhabitants will finally, seven years later, be compensated, welcomes Alima, one of their spokespersons: “[C’est] a great relief, a sense of justice finally done. At least it had to be done for the children. Their lives, for some, are totally destroyed, they are damaged, they are weakened by the memory that their children were all awakened in the middle of the night by gunfire, by the explosion.”
“Some children were targeted, they saw their parents crying, screaming. It’s a trauma that we can’t imagine. Reparation by justice is important.”
Alima, spokesperson for residents of Saint-Denisat franceinfo
“This is a great legal victory for the inhabitants [de cette résidence] because we’ve been rowing for seven years to have them recognized as victims in their own right”also rejoices Maître Méhana Mouhou who represents approximately 80 civil parties, owners, tenants or people housed in this building. “It’s very important because they have the same rights now as all victims of attacks.”
“They can be compensated as victims of an attack, they can have the necessary care, the children can be recognized as pupils of the Nation.”
Me Mehana Mouhouat franceinfo
The lawyer recalls that his clients are “traumatized”, that children are in “school failure”, that some have been “poorly housed or not housed” after the explosion of their building, other “slept in their car”. “It was a decent in hell and there will begin the reconstruction for them”he concludes.
The civilians who came immediately to rescue the injured from the terraces at the risk of their lives, on the evening of the attacks of November 13, 2015, will also be compensated. This is the case of Jean-Luc Wertenschlag who lives above the cafe la Belle team, where 19 people were killed. Just after the terrorists left, he left his home, used his notions of first aid and even saved the life of a young woman. This Parisian was lastingly marked psychologically: “It’s essential for me. It’s part of the recognition that I was almost emotionally waiting for. Finally, we are recognized, we exist. From a compensation point of view, compensation, I don’t know what it will bring, but that was not what I expected. It was really that we could start to move the case law.
“There are the direct victims, there are the bereaved and there are also the people who come to help, who get involved and who are impacted, we took the impact of the attack.”
Jean-Luc Wertenschlag, a Parisian who rescued a victim of November 13at franceinfo
For people who were close to the facts and psychologically affected, the Court made a case by case. Regarding companies, legal persons, there will be compensation for the various restaurants targeted on November 13 and for the Bataclan.
On the other hand, the cities of Paris and Saint-Denis are not recognized as civil parties. A decision contested by the lawyer for the City of Paris, Patrick Klugman: “Paris was targeted as such by all the acts of claim of the attacks which said ‘Target Paris’ or ‘We targeted the capital of abominations, Paris’. The Assize Court answers us on this point: ‘it’ is the capital of France that was targeted and not Paris’. It’s a subtle thought. I find this decision surprising, shocking and regrettable.”
Natural and legal persons recognized as civil parties will still have to go before a specialized judge who, after expertise, will assess the amount of their compensation. The sums paid will be deducted from the guarantee fund created for victims of terrorism and financed by contributions to insurance contracts.