For the victims and their loved ones, life after the attacks has been a winding road, marked by many ups and downs. Nearly ten years after the November 13 murders, the psychological scars still linger, despite the support given to them.
To the victims of the Bataclan, the terraces and the Stade de France, as well as the victims of other attacks that occurred in recent years, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) now wants to offer access to restorative justice. This was the subject of an email sent to various associations on November 3. A document was revealed by RMC this Tuesday and consulted by Le Parisien.
Restorative justice is a justice protocol that has existed for around ten years in France, but is still new in relation to current terrorism. In particular, it allows meetings between victims and prisoners convicted in other cases for similar acts. This protocol does not replace criminal justice. This aims to help victims “repair” and make prisoners aware of the impact of their actions, while reducing the risk of their actions recurring.
PNAT wants to establish a “national steering committee with victim groups in the last quarter of 2025”. Objective: “involving all stakeholders in reflection with the aim of initiating, monitoring and developing restorative justice initiatives in terrorist matters, in accordance with the wishes of specific victims’ associations or assistance to victims in terrorist matters”.
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Salah Abdeslam opened the door to the meeting
Me Olivia Ronen confirmed that her client, Salah Abdeslam, who was sentenced to life in prison with an irreducible sentence in 2022, was not against the idea. “We have someone (…) who also expressed an apology to the civil side during his trial, who wanted to be able to explain the situation and perhaps discuss, opening the door for the civil side, if they want, to be able to discuss the detention and discussion of this trial”, said the board in franceinfo this Tuesday morning.
Arthur Dénouveaux, president of Life for Paris, reacted to her comments about Life after the Bataclan (Cerf edition).
Can Salah Abdeslam meet with people affected by the November 13 attacks? Tools, such as restorative mediation, would allow this hypothesis to be considered. Georges Salines wanted to talk to the man serving his sentence in solitary confinement in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais) prison. The man lost his daughter, Lola, killed at the Bataclan. Such a meeting, he hoped, would make it possible to “clarify what actually happened on his trip and in particular, on his trip on November 13, 2015, because it is still unclear”.
And Georges Salines asked Franceinfo: “What does he think of today’s attacks? Does he think they were justified? » “I cannot condone what was done but I am not pursuing these people out of hatred or personal revenge,” he assured.
These types of meetings cannot be held overnight and require resources, significant security systems, and the presence of trained mediators. There is still a long way to go, but with the formation of the steering committee, the first steps towards expanding access to restorative justice have been established.
