The trial relating to the deadly wave of terror attacks that struck Paris on November 13th 2015 gets under way this Wednesday September 8th. During a hearing scheduled to last nine months, the 20 defendants will be tried over their role in attacks that left 130 dead, hundreds more wounded and many grieving families. Matthieu Suc sets the scene for a trial that is exceptional both in its scale and nature.
The proceedings relate to the worst atrocity carried out in France since World War II. It left 130 dead, hundreds of men and women both physically and mentally wounded and many families in mourning. It is an historic criminal trial in which the resources that have already been deployed give some idea of its sheer scale; 140 days have been set aside for the hearing, there are 542 volumes of evidence and procedure, close to 1,800 people have joined as civil parties to the criminal case, with a total of 330 lawyers involved, while 141 different media from across the world have been given accreditation.
