Valence Prosecutors Reject Racism Aggravation in Thomas Perotto Case

Overview

• The Valence public prosecutor filed a final requisition on Monday, August 17 rejecting the racism aggravation and asking judges to retain a 'concomitance' aggravation instead.
• On July 23 the investigating judges had requalified the case and retained a racism aggravation against the 14 suspects based on about a dozen witness statements alleging anti‑white or anti‑French insults.
• The parquet says those testimonies are very minor in number, variable, imprecise or contradictory and that no witness can attribute racist remarks to a specific suspect, so the legal threshold for a racism aggravation is not met.
• Investigating judges will make the final decision when they issue the ordonnance de mise en accusation in the coming weeks and victims' lawyers plus anti‑racism groups plan to submit observations arguing the racism finding should stand.
• The choice of aggravations will not change the maximum penalties already faced by the 14 suspects but it matters for how motive is legally framed, for victims' sense of justice, and for the public and political debate around the case.