Laurence de Charette: After the Lyhanna affair, justice is not willing to be held accountable

A scathing critique of France's justice system highlights its apparent unwillingness to confront its own failures, drawing a stark parallel between the recent Lyhanna murder case and the notorious Outreau judicial fiasco.

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After the Lyhanna affair, justice is not willing to be held accountable.

The opinion piece, published in Le Figaro, argues that the justice system is "little inclined to examine its conscience" and even less so "to be held accountable." The author points to the Outreau case, where 13 individuals were acquitted after three years of imprisonment due to procedural errors, as a symbol of a major judicial failure.

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In the case of the Lyhanna tragedy, as was the case during the judicial fiasco of the Outreau affair, justice seems little inclined to examine its conscience. Even less to be held accountable.

While acknowledging that the Outreau case erred through excess rather than inaction, unlike the "unbearable tragedy" of Lyhanna, the author contends that both instances reveal deep human and institutional flaws. These failings, the piece suggests, lead to "irreparable human disasters."

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The Outreau affair, unlike the unbearable tragedy of Lyhanna, may have erred through excess rather than inaction, but it nevertheless marked a real turning point in the history of justice and its relationship with the French people, who were lastingly troubled by what it revealed about its functioning.

The article further implies that, much like the "little judge" at the center of the Outreau scandal, those responsible for judicial missteps often face minimal consequences, beyond public outcry.

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Behind the facade, heavy human and institutional flaws, at the origin of irreparable human disasters...