Students convicted of involvement in the murder of teacher Paty in Paris Presidents of Mercosur countries meet for a summit in Rio

Five students received suspended sentences and one student was sentenced to six months in prison for their involvement in the murder of teacher Samuel Paty in France. A juvenile court in Paris imposed the sentences on Friday due to the students’ involvement in the dramatic run-up to the Islamist-motivated terrorist act three years ago.

On October 16, 2020, an 18-year-old murdered and beheaded the history teacher in a Paris suburb. The police shot the perpetrator, who had Russian-Chechen roots. The crime sparked international outrage.

Before the crime, the teacher had rebelled against the teacher online for showing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class on the topic of freedom of expression. Five students who were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the crime are said to have helped the killer recognize 47-year-old Paty. The student who told the attacker it was teacher Paty as he left school will serve six months in prison with an electronic ankle monitor. A then 13-year-old student who had caused the crime with a false accusation was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The trial of eight adults, some of whom are said to have directly supported the attacker in preparing his crime, will not be completed for another year. (sda/dpa)