Fast-track riot trials in Paris spark legal and political debate

Fast-track trials in Paris face intense criticism from lawyers over rushed justice and root social causes.

French courts are holding expedited hearings for individuals arrested during recent unrest in Paris. Defense lawyers criticize the rushed judicial process and political pressure, pointing to underlying poverty as the root cause of the looting.

• The setting18-year-old defendants appeared in the tribunal de Paris after participating in the looting of a luxury store on Boulevard Saint Germain.
• The reactionDefense attorneys argue that politicians demanding harsh sentences ignore the severe economic deprivation driving the unrest.