13 people go on trial over cyberbullying, death threats against French teen

Thirteen people are set to go on trial in Paris over accusations of cyberbullying and sending death threats to a French teen, The Associated Press reported on Thursday. 

An 18-year-old who identifies herself online as Mila was targeted by the defendants in 2020 after posting various videos on TikTok and Instagram that were critical of Islam and the Quran. 

Mila received death threats and online abuse from the posts, which led to her being put under police protection and switching schools. 

One of defendants in trial threatened Mila with a similar fate as that of Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in 2020 after showing his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, according to the AP.

This is the first trial under new jurisdiction the country created to prosecute harassment and discrimination online. 

French President Emmanuel Macron defended the 18-year-old’s ”right to blasphemy.” Some French Muslims, meanwhile, argue their country isn’t protecting their rights. 

The defendants, who range from the ages of 18 to 35, face up to three years in prison if convicted and fines of up to 45,000 euros, according to the AP.