Three of the seven French soldiers on trial for manslaughter of Jallal Hami
Credit: LOIC VENANCE/AFP
His parents fled civil war in Algeria for a new life in France, where Jallal Hami went on to become an exemplary student and trainee at the country’s most prestigious military academy, Saint Cyr.
Days later, he was dead after drowning in an initiation ceremony involving crossing a freezing swamp en masse at night to the strains of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.
On Monday, seven soldiers went on trial for manslaughter for failing to save Mr Hami, who died aged 24 on the night of October 20, 2012 during the “transmission of traditions” ritual in Brittany.
Among the seven, five were trainee officers at the time, and two part of the school’s leadership team, including a general.
On that fatal night, 150 new recruits were ordered to swim 43 metres in their helmets and boots across a swamp with 9 degrees Celsius water as part of what prosecutors called a hazing exercise supposed to simulate a beach landing.
Jumping into the stagnant water, several quickly struggled and went under, gasping for air and clutching at others. Besides the music, blank shots were fired.
“I thought I was going to die. There were too many people. You could see the panic on people’s faces,” said one ex-trainee.
Organisers threw them rubber rings to help but when everyone was out, Mr Hami was reported missing.
Emergency services recovered his body at 2.35am near the bank of the swamp.
There was a sign saying "No Swimming" by the area. "Didn’t that concern you?" Camille Radot, lawyer for the civil plaintiffs, asked one of the accused, Simon Pitance, a trained lifeguard tasked with checking the course.
"No it didn’t concern me," he told the court. "I trust my unit."
"I had another idea of the notion of responsibility for an officer of the French army," said prosecutor Philippe Astruc.
Among the accused is General Francis Chanson, whose lawyer William Pineau said that while the events had been "tragic", his client could not be held criminally responsible "because he did not know what really went on on the ground".
Mr Hami was a brilliant student who earned a diploma from Sciences Po, studied Mandarin and excelled at sports before joining Saint-Cyr, founded in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
"The judiciary must do its job and we expect individuals to be held responsible," said Mr Hami’s brother Rachid before the trial opened.
"This is not a trial brought by an Arab and Muslim family from a disadvantaged suburb against the French army."
The trial should show how "dysfunctions in the military" had led to his brother’s death, he said. The defendants "let him down".
The trial continues.
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