Salah Abdeslam, the face of the March 22, 2016 terror attacks, would like to live in more flexible prison conditions “to end the humiliation.” This was refused by the French Council of State. The judge is said to have taken “new elements” into account: according to the prison administration, Abdeslam allegedly made threats against the director.
Salah Abdeslam will not receive any relaxation of his detention conditions in France. The French Council of State has rejected the request of the only living terrorist from the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris.
Abdeslam is being held in the high-security prison of Vendin-le-Vieil, in the north of France. He had filed an appeal in cassation to, among other things, end his solitary confinement, gain access to family visits and abolish full body searches. Abdeslam is only allowed to communicate with his visitors via an intercom and safety glass.
The terrorist challenged his conditions, stating that he wanted “to put an end to the degrading conditions of his detention.” But the French Council of State did not follow that reasoning and thus confirmed an earlier decision of the administrative court of Lille. “This is an important victory for the authority of the state, the work of prison staff and the fight against terrorism,” said French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.
“Causing catastrophe” to the director
In making that decision, the judge took into account new elements introduced by the prison administration. According to the administration, Abdeslam allegedly asked a fellow prisoner on April 4 if he could provide the address of the prison director. He would like to send “two or three guys” to cause a “catastrophe”, without “wanting to wait until 2086”.
The prison administration refers to statements that were allegedly heard during conversations with other detainees. However, Abdeslam’s lawyer strongly denies the allegations. According to him, this concerns information from notes from the intelligence services and the motivation was “built up afterwards”. He speaks of a “witch hunt”.
Abdeslam has been imprisoned since 2015. He is serving a life sentence for his role in the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris. He was also convicted for the March 22, 2016 attacks in Brussels. He has been isolated in an isolation cell for almost ten years.