Overview

• Tein, a leader from the indigenous Kanak community, was detained in June 2024 over accusations he instigated May riots tied to proposed voting reforms that killed more than a dozen people.
• On June 12, judges freed him under judicial control following a video hearing in which he pledged to respond to future summons and reside in eastern France.
• Investigating magistrates concluded there was no evidence Tein was planning an armed uprising against the French government.
• Release conditions bar him from returning to New Caledonia or contacting other suspects while prosecutors lodge an appeal.
• His lawyer characterized the proceedings as a United Nations–monitored decolonization case and criticized the treatment of pro-independence activists.