Eight people have been convicted in France in connection with the Islamist-motivated murder of teacher Samuel Paty four years ago, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
They will have to spend between one and 16 years in prison, judges in Paris ruled yesterday, according to reports in several French media.
Paty, a 47-year-old history teacher, was killed and beheaded by an 18-year-old in a suburb of Paris. Police shot and killed the attacker, who has Russian-Chechen roots. The crime, which was described by French authorities as an act of terrorism motivated by Islamism, has sparked outrage in France and around the world.
Before the incident, the teacher had been vilified online for showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class as an example of freedom of expression, which prompted the killer to attack him.
Two of the perpetrator's friends were sentenced to 16 years in prison for their complicity.
They are said to have been aware of his plans and accompanied the perpetrator in purchasing weapons, as well as driving him to the scene of the crime.
Until the very end of the trial, they claimed they had no idea of his true intentions.
Among those convicted were the father of the student who allegedly spread the accusations against Patty, and an Islamic preacher. They were sentenced to 13 and 15 years in prison, respectively.
/АМ/
Source: www.bta.bg