The Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence sentenced Cédric Herrou on Tuesday, August 8, to a four-month suspended prison sentence. The farmer from Breil-sur-Roya (Alpes-Maritimes), an activist for solidarity and aid to migrants crossing the Italian border through the Roya Valley, was penalized more severely than in the first instance.
Judged for the assistance he provided to about two hundred migrants, mainly Eritreans and Sudanese, Cédric Herrou was sentenced on February 10 by the Nice Criminal Court to a suspended fine of 3,000 euros for transporting from Ventimiglia to France foreigners desperately seeking to cross the border. The prosecutor of the Republic of Nice had appealed this judgment.
“When the assistance to entry is part of a global protest against the law, it does not fall under the exemptions provided for but serves a militant cause, and not a response to a situation of distress. This service thus constitutes a compensation,” is the reasoning behind this judgment.
The comment from the person concerned aligns with his character: “They simply only have to put me in prison.”
In fact, it is “simply” the goal sought for a long time and his dedication as the chief humanitarian.
A caricature, indeed.
