Lyhanna: white march in France and controversy over justice system failures

Several calls to demonstrate outside the Ministry of Justice and the courts were issued for Monday, extending the mobilisation beyond Sunday's white march. The political class seized on the case one year ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with candidates seeking to position themselves on issues of child protection and the functioning of the judicial institution.

National emotion and a political class on the campaign trail

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Sunday the review of 70,000 judicial files concerning minors by 14 July. He ordered prosecutors to examine by mid-July all ongoing proceedings involving children, and threatened judicial authorities with sanctions if faults were established. Darmanin stated that the French judicial system « ne fonctionne pas » and spoke of « extremely serious failures » (« extrem schweren Versäumnissen ») in the handling of prior complaints filed against the suspect.

The suspect, in whose vehicle the girl had last been seen, had been the subject of several reports for rape of minors. According to the Auch prosecutor's office, the suspect's brother was arrested on Monday on charges including rape of a minor, rape within a couple, deprivation of liberty and death threats. A doctor had observed anal lesions consistent with rape, and a psychologist had stated that the girl's testimony should be believed, but nine months later the suspect had still not been detained or questioned, the press reported. The suspect is in pre-trial detention and refuses to speak.

Failures in the judicial chain brought to light

President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged dysfunctions within the French judicial system in the wake of the case. Asked about the existence of other similar cases, Darmanin stated that the question needed to be asked. Darmanin further declared that the French judicial system lacked neither resources nor laws, but that the issue was one of priorities, in his own words: « Es ist eine Frage der Prioritätensetzung. »

Alice Gayraud, former president of the Independent Commission on Sexual Violence against Children (Ciivise), published an op-ed in Le Monde in which she questions society's response to violence against children. She writes: « Combien de temps allons-nous mimer la stupeur devant des crimes aussi ordinaires ? » The secretary-general of Ciivise for his part estimated: « Trop de priorités tue les priorités. »

Union and editorial reactions

The French media coverage was particularly harsh. Le Figaro denounced a « faillite du système judiciaire ». L'Humanité accused the executive of having « accablé une institution judiciaire qu'il a étranglée, asphyxiée par ses choix d'austérité ». Mediapart criticised Minister Darmanin for refusing to examine his own political responsibility on violence against children. Libération recalled that the resources of the French justice system have increased since 2017 but remain significantly below those of most European countries.

The USM magistrates' union rejected the minister's accusations, asking « qui est responsable du système si ce n'est lui ». The USM stated that the digitisation of the justice system is not working and that the ministry is overwhelming the courts with instructions that are difficult to apply. The union stressed that France has four times fewer prosecutors than the European average.

Albania and Burkina Faso in the background

Beyond the Lyhanna case, the French press also addressed other current affairs, including Pope Leo's visit to Spain to inaugurate the main tower of the Sagrada Família, on the occasion of the centenary of the death of architect Antoni Gaudí, and the situation in Albania, where thousands of people demonstrated for the eighth consecutive day in Tirana against real estate projects by the Trump family. The European Commission warned that these projects could conflict with European environmental rules and compromise Albania's EU accession negotiations.

Among the other topics mentioned in the press review broadcast on France 24 on Monday 8 June is also Libération's investigation into secret detention sites in Burkina Faso, under the junta of Ibrahim Traoré, where at least 120 detainees are held, including people accused of having criticised the regime, refused to fight in Ukraine or committed minor traffic offences. Libération identified the location of a secret prison near Ouagadougou international airport and within the military compound of Karpala prison.