Court Increases Sentences in High-Profile Online Harassment Case Against French Teen

In a statement published on Tuesday, the Paris Court of Appeal announced that it had sentenced two of the defendants to two years and one year of suspended imprisonment in the context of the Mila case. According to the Court of Appeal, the main sentences were "insufficient to adequately punish the acts committed". It emphasizes having retained "the cumulative qualifications of aggravated harassment and death threats", reports Franceinfo.

The sentence is accompanied by an "obligation to compensate the civil parties, to complete a citizenship course, and a ban on contacting the victim of the offenses in any way whatsoever". In 2021, eleven people, including the two convicted on appeal, had received sentences ranging from four to six months of suspended imprisonment.

Mila has been the target of thousands of hate messages for criticizing Islam in a video posted on social media in January 2020. According to her lawyer, the young woman received more than 100,000 hateful messages and death threats.