Judges challenging the government! Let’s not dream. It is not happening in France, and has nothing to do with the trial of Yvan Colonna: the Pakistanis judges have declared war on the president. Among the insurgents are barristers, but that is normal… An advocate is a challenge, by nature, to any established authority, isn’t he?

Meanwhile, back in Paris, capital of the so called country “of Human Rights”, a very strange Circuit Court meets every day: no members of the jury, no council for the defence, no defendant…

The civil representatives wear robes. They are, normally, registered to the Bar. And they seem to find everything natural. Not happy in participating in this masquerade, on top of that they give interviews explaining that rules are respected, that the defendant is getting what he deserves, and his defender attorneys are doing … “judiciary terrorism”!

Well, colleagues. I have taken note of your stand. We are not from the same country, but we received the same French academic education. And yet, I do not understand very well how we can explain such procedures and practices.

And I would rather feel good about myself (and in my robe) than to be in your place!

Jean-Guy Talamoni

A 34 years old French woman, Florence Cassez, has just been condemned for life by the Mexican justice, for crimes that she has obviously not committed.  The prosecution’s version is coming against serious contradictions. For example, they are reproaching her offences that took place in 2002, while she only arrived in Mexico in… 2003! Only one element seems to explain this decision, of which the blatant injustice is total evidence: the will not to challenge the legitimacy of the Mexican Minister of Security Police, Genaro Garcia Luna.

To make it short: an unjust and extreme severity condemnation, a completely intolerable position of the prosecution, a jurisdiction dutiful to an Interior Department Minister…

Does it ring a bell?

Another worrying point: the condemnation has just been confirmed in a circuit court, without even that the Minister Genaro Garcia Luna be, meanwhile, elected President of the Republic of Mexico…

 
Jean-Guy Talamoni

“Why should we change our case law? (…)The whole of Europe praises our chefs, our tailors, our wigmakers; therefore our laws are fine.” Voltaire, Dictionary of philosophy, paper “Torture”.

“You are on a mission!” shouted Colona at Didier Wacogne, President of the circuit court. This accusation is serious, and could appear extravagant through the eyes of a middle class French - or Corsican - citizen who has so often heard of the independence of judges as one sacrosanct principles of the French Republic. To shake his certitudes, we could remind him of certain painful episodes of the French judiciary history, like the creation of Vichy “special sections”. And yes, at that time too, a formal legality had been set up to cover injustice… Thus did not prevent lawyers who collaborated to bring disgrace upon themselves.

But let’s rather see through what judiciary mechanism such a “mission” could be given, and by whom.

In fact, behind the visible opacity of the appointment proceedings, things are relatively simple: the president of the circuit court and his assistants are nominated by the first president of the Court of appeals (articles 245 and 250 Penal Proceedings Code), who is in turn designated by the President of the Republic’s decree (Order of November 28^th, 1958, article 2)! CQFD.

To be read without failing: the “manifesto from nine intellectual French West Indians for post capitalist societies”. This a crystal clear text signed by Patrick Chamoiseau and Edouard Glissant who recently addressed to the newly elected President of the United States, whose election is a “poetic miracle” according to them. Together with other important people from the thinking world, they now through this manifesto look into the significance of the French West Indian social movement as well as perspectives, which it opens for any country devastated by colonialism and its dependence. Affirming their “full and without any reservation solidarity”, the authors unveil the profound relations between mundane (purchasing power, housewife basket…) and poetics (yearning for self-fulfilment). A clear demonstration that leads naturally on a “vision”:

“Small countries, suddenly at the new heart of  the world, suddenly giant to be the first examples of post-capitalist societies, able to put together a human self fulfilment that is consistent with the fullness of the living…”

Let’s observe that these words could be applied to other people and in particular ours…

Jean-Guy Talamoni

The separatist Oscar Temaru has just been elected President of so-called French Polynesia (but for how long?) with a large majority of 37 votes out of 57. Le newly head of the Polynesian executive authority declared: “First of all, we need to make peace between each others…” Sandra Levy-Agami, independent, has also evoked “reconciliation for all and a permanent attention to one another” as well as a “more Polynesian behaviour in the local public life”, adding “we must give back to the development of Polynesia a much more Polynesian soul (…) but firstly,we have to learn about ourselves and from where we are from to know which road to choose and to follow”. If the elected Corsicans representatives were collectively able to put together such principles, we certainly would not be talking about such noxious and imported approaches like the PADDUC.

Let’s remind us that the Tavini, the party of the new President of Polynesia, is keeping a close political relationship with the Corsican separatists, and that its strong delegations participated several times to Corti International Days. Besides this party is one of the signatories of the “Declaration of stateless people under the French trusteeship” (Corti, august 2006)

Jean-Guy Talamoni