Wave of outrage in France over the killing of a student
Published: Wednesday, Sep 25th 2024, 17:00
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There is great outrage in France following the killing of a Parisian student. The 19-year-old was killed on Friday lunchtime in a green area near her university.
While the crime itself caused a stir, the case has become a political issue since the arrest of a suspect on Tuesday evening. The 22-year-old is a convicted rapist who was due to be deported after his release from prison, but was released due to mishaps.
Following fierce criticism of the functioning of the justice system by politicians from different camps, France's new Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has just taken office, has announced a crackdown. "It is up to us, the public authorities, to reject fate and develop our legal system in order to protect the French", said the conservative minister. "If we have to change the rules, let's change them." It was about "guaranteeing the safety of our compatriots".
Politicians deplore failure of the judiciary
"If you have someone in custody who you can assume is a threat to French society, you shouldn't have to release them before you even have the certainty that they can be deported," Socialist leader Olivier Faure told BFMTV. "Our justice system is lax, our state doesn't work, our politicians are letting the French live with human bombs," reacted the leader of the right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella. The administration and the judiciary were working far too slowly when it came to deportations, the socialist former president François Hollande told the broadcaster France Info.
The 19-year-old Philippine was reported missing by her parents on Friday. Friends and relatives discovered her half-buried the next day after locating her cell phone during a privately organized search.
Judge had ordered early release
The suspect had served a prison sentence for the rape of another student in 2019 and was to be deported to his country of origin after his release. Initially, the wrong authority applied for the necessary papers, but then a judge ordered the man's early release from custody pending deportation.
The suspect did not comply with the requirement to report regularly to the police. After the crime, he was caught in Geneva, Switzerland.
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