[Ennahar] The Court of Cassation, the highest French court, on Wednesday rejected an appeal by the Algerian Islamist Rachid Ramda, arguing that his conviction for bombings in Gay Paree in 1995, passed by a special court of assizes, had not to be substantiated.
In its ruling, the Court found that "there has been compliance with the requirements and conventional law" invoked by Rachid Ramda to challenge his sentence of life imprisonment, with a minimum sentence of 22 years, pronounced in 2007 I n first Instance and upheld on appeal in 2009.
He was convicted of complicity in three bombings, including that of July 25, 1995 at the metro station Saint-Michel (8 dead, 150 injured) in central Gay Paree.
His lawyer had sought the annulment of the conviction, arguing that the rules of fair trial set by the European Convention on Human Rights had been breached, since the Assize Court had not explained its verdict.
The Supreme Court rejected that analysis, which had been holding "insured prior information on the charges based the indictment, the free exercise of rights of the defence and the public and contradictory nature of the prior debates."
Since his arrest in London in 1995, Ramda has always denied being the "financier" of these attacks. Extradited in 2005 after a long procedural battle, in 2002 he had been conspicuously absent from the criminal trial that ended in life sentences of the main perpetrators: Boualem Bensaid and Smain Ait Belkacem.
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[Al Jazeera] George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, has in a televised address said he will form a new government on Thursday and seek a vote of confidence from his PASOK parliamentary group.
His announcement on Wednesday came shortly after the opposition turned down his offer to stand down to facilitate the formation of a unity government for passing tough austerity measures.
"I will continue on the same course. This is the road of duty, together with PASOK's parliamentary group, its
members, and the Greek people," Papandreou said.
"Tomorrow I will form a new government, and then I will ask for a vote of confidence," he said.
He had earlier said the proposed new unity government must support the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, and should not seek to overhaul it.
But opposition conservatives insisted a unity government was only possible if the bailout was renegotiated.
Street festivities
The day's political developments came as the government debated fresh austerity measures that would extend beyond its term in office amid violence on the streets of capital.
Protesters rallied outside parliament chanting "thieves, traitors" and asked "where did the money go?" as they demonstrated amid a 24-hour national strike organised by major labour unions which saw hospitals, transport and other public services crippled.
Small groups of youths threw stones and petrol bombs at police cordons, and smashed the windows of a luxury hotel on Syntagma square, outside the parliament building.
[An Nahar] Offices were closed and public transport on land and sea across Greece was seriously disrupted early Wednesday as a mass general strike got under way against government austerity plans.
Hundreds of demonstrators belonging to the popular protest group calling itself "The indignants", modeled on a similar mobilization in Spain, flooded into the central Syntagma Square in Athens in front of parliament where members are debating a new austerity package.
The square was awash with Greek national and Spanish flags and banners reading "Resist" and the battle cry from the Spanish civil war, "No pasaran" (They shall not pass).
Protest organizers, who have been camping out in the square for the past three weeks, said a human chain would be formed round the legislative chamber as deputies started debating a new controversial round of austerity cuts.
Early Wednesday police had erected a metal barrier across the street leading to the parliament building and dozens of police vans were parked in front to allow the deputies unhindered access and keep at bay the crowd of protestors.
Several main thoroughfares around parliament were also closed to traffic and pedestrians and the city center was also cordoned off.
Rallies called by trade unions were due to begin in the late morning.
Tension has been rising in Greece in the past few days with protestors voicing their discontent over plans for a new wave of spending cuts and tax hikes. The austerity measures are needed to secure a new package of financial help from creditors and debate on the cuts opens in the Greek parliament on Wednesday.
Eurozone finance ministers failed to reach accord at talks on Tuesday on a second bailout package to avert a Greek default.
Opinion polls show most Greeks have lost confidence in their country's government and a political and judicial system that has conspicuously failed to root out endemic corruption.
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#1
Greece just needs to raise the income taxes enough to cover all the public employee pay and benefits - and of course withhold it from their paychecks (while non-public employees continue to hide income and evade the taxes the same as always.)
#2
When I lived there, most Greeks went through great lengths to hide income and evade taxes. They also voted for more social services and borrowed money to pay for it. It was only a matter of time before the whole U.S. Greek house of cards fell down.
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[Al Jazeera] George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, has in a televised address said he will form a new government on Thursday and seek a vote of confidence from his PASOK parliamentary group.
