A final verdict: An Inquiry into the trial of the November 2015 attacks
The School of Political Studies lecture series – 2025–2026 : Fourth Lecture
Mar 31, 2026 — 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
As part of its lecture series, the School of Political Studies is pleased to invite you to its fourth talk, ''A Final Verdict: An Inquiry into the Trial of the November 2015 Attacks " (in French only) with guest speaker, Sandrine Lefranc.
Event information
A Final Verdict: An Inquiry into the Trial of the November 2015 Attacks
Over the course of 148 days, four researchers attended the trial of the November 2015 attacks committed in Paris and Saint-Denis. On June 29, 2022, twenty men were found guilty; 2,318 women and men—direct victims who were physically or psychologically injured, as well as relatives of those killed or wounded—had their legal status as victims confirmed. The verdict was not appealed. This presentation offers a new perspective on the proceedings and challenges the apparent clarity of the judicial narrative. While the trial was presented as the exemplary judgment of “monsters steeped in religion” who had become “killing machines,” the testimonies heard in court reveal that terrorism is fueled by far more complex factors.
The trial was framed as a form of reparation offered to the victims and to the Nation—an exercise in “restorative justice.” Yet victims were primarily invited to recount their trauma. Several of them also highlighted the failures of the French state: inadequate protection of the living, harsh treatment of the dead, shortcomings in the education of “youth from disadvantaged suburbs,” and imprudent actions on the international stage. Did the trial succeed in shedding light on the processes that led to the attacks? How did lawyers and judges balance legal norms with the broader framework of counterterrorism policy? Social science research invites us to open this debate.
Guest Speaker: Sandrine Lefranc
Sandrine Lefranc is a Research Director in political science at the CNRS (Centre for European Studies / Sciences Po Paris). Her research focuses on memory policies, transitional justice following mass political violence, and restorative justice—particularly as practiced in France in response to sexual violence. Among her publications: La Mémoire collective en question(s), with Sarah Gensburger (eds.), PUF, 2023; Comment sortir de la violence ? Enjeux et limites de la justice transitionnelle, CNRS Éditions, 2022; À quoi servent les politiques de mémoire ? with Sarah Gensburger, Presses de Sciences Po, 2017.