A French court has sentenced eight individuals for their roles in the 2020 murder of teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded outside his school in Paris following an online hate campaign. Paty, 47, had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a class discussion on freedom of expression, sparking outrage that culminated in his killing by an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin. The attacker was shot dead by police at the scene.
The Paris Special Assize Court handed down sentences ranging from one to 16 years in a verdict described as addressing “the exceptional gravity of the facts.” Among those convicted, Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, received 16-year prison terms for complicity in the murder. Boudaoud drove the attacker to the school, while Epsirkhanov helped him acquire weapons. Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a 65-year-old preacher, was sentenced to 15 years for orchestrating an online campaign against Paty, labeling him a “thug” in a widely circulated video.
Brahim Chnina, 52, who falsely accused Paty of targeting his daughter and identified the teacher and his school in online videos, received a 13-year sentence for association with a terrorist enterprise. Four others, who spread inflammatory content online and supported the attacker’s actions, were also convicted.
The packed courtroom heard prosecutors argue that while the defendants may not have intended for Paty to be killed, their actions lit “thousands of fuses online,” creating an environment that led to the tragedy.
Paty’s sister, Gaelle, expressed a mix of relief and sorrow after the verdict, saying, “Hearing the word ‘guilty’ — that’s what I needed.” Emotions ran high in the courtroom, with families of the convicted reacting with cries and protests, prompting the judge to call for order multiple times.
This trial marks the final chapter in a case that shocked France and reignited debates on extremism and freedom of expression. The murder of Samuel Paty remains a stark reminder of the dangers faced by educators and the broader societal challenges of combating hate and intolerance.
