Initial hearing in Axe Ceremonia case postponed after defendant requests consular assistance

The initial hearing in the Axe Ceremonia case will not resume until Oct. 14 after one of the defendants requested assistance from the French Consulate.

The defendant is a dual national. The request was made during Wednesday’s hearing, which concerns possible responsibility for the deaths of two photographers at the festival on April 5, 2025. Eight individuals and three companies are being considered for prosecution.

Edwin Alan Piñón, a lawyer for Miguel Rojas’s family, said the court must send an official request to the consulate so it can appoint someone from the defendant’s country of origin to provide consular assistance.

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The court must send an official request to the consulate so it can appoint someone from the defendant’s country of origin to provide this consular assistance.

The families also reported a separate development. Lawyers for photographer Berenice Giles’s family told the judge that they had reached a compensation agreement with companies connected to the case. Piñón said the agreement covers the damage caused to her family and could bring the proceedings concerning Giles to an end.

The hearing over the deaths of the two photographers who were covering the Axe Ceremonia festival is scheduled to continue on Oct. 14.

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The legal representatives of the Giles family informed the control judge that they had already reached a compensation agreement specifically covering the damage caused to her family, which could bring the proceedings concerning Berenice Giles to an end.