“The verdict is up to par,” said Claude Lienhard, victims’ lawyer.

The lawyer for some of the victims and civil parties in the trial of the Strasbourg Christmas market attack, however, regrets the attitude of the accused.

“The verdict is up to par”, believes Me Claude Lienhard, lawyer for some of the victims and civil parties in the trial of the Strasbourg Christmas market attack, on France Bleu Alsace, Friday March 5. The main accused, Audrey Mondjehi, was sentenced, Thursday, to 30 years of criminal imprisonment, with a two-thirds security sentence, for having helped the jihadist Chérif Chekatt to obtain a weapon before his attack of December 11, 2018 . This “very heavy sentence” is the “result of the finding: no weapon, no attack”continues the lawyer.

“The victims believe that this decision is a very well-reasoned and solid legal shield against terrorism,” underlines Me Claude Lienhard. According to him, they have “really showed great dignity” and did not have “no hate”. He only regrets the attitude of Audrey Mondjehi: “We never had a clear answer, successive denials, improbabilities, real or simulated memory loss.” However, the lawyer welcomes the “great precision and great humanity of the president of the Assize Court”.

Civil hearing begins Friday morning

Me Claude Lienhard believes that Audrey Mondjehi will appeal her conviction. He is preparing to “to fight” ahead of the potential appeal trial “so that the organization is a little better”. Indeed, the victims he represents were not all able to attend the entire trial which took place in Paris over the past five weeks, due to “economic difficulties”, particularly for transport and housing.

The civil hearing begins Friday morning. This is an opportunity for certain civil parties to have their victim status recognized. A key moment “so that we clearly recognize that the perimeter of this attack is not just the streets in which it happened, it is the heart of Strasbourg”says Me Claude Lienhard.