Interior Ministry Denies Reports of Mass Release of Terrorism Convicts

These releases would follow a statement by Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet at the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic in France. She had called "for early releases for health reasons of people convicted at the end of their sentence." "Every week, they leave by three or four," say intelligence services.

According to Le Point, the Ministry of the Interior has denied this information. "Those convicted of terrorism stricto sensu are not affected by the release measures related to the health context linked to the coronavirus. We must not confuse terrorists and radicalized detainees. Of course, there may be convicted persons released before the end of their sentences in anti-terrorism procedures. But these are generally people acting on the periphery of these cases; they do not have blood on their hands directly," the ministry clarifies.

This clarification does not seem to reflect reality. And for good reason: two individuals involved in the attack that occurred in Strasbourg in December 2018 benefited from conditional release as part of the implementation of this measure. Yet they were indicted for criminal conspiracy, possession and transfer of weapons in connection with a terrorist enterprise.

After their early release from prison, these detainees are monitored by DGSI agents and the intelligence directorate. They actually feel embarrassed. One of them confides: "For us, confinement is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, since the streets are empty, we are quickly unmasked. On the other hand, after years in prison, we can hardly imagine a prisoner staying confined."