Sohane Benziane
Encyclopedia
Sohane Benziane was a French
girl of Algeria
n ancestry who was murdered at the age of 17.
On October 4, 2002 in Vitry-sur-Seine
, South of Paris, 17 year old Sohane Benziane, the daughter of Kabyle
immigrants, was burned alive in front of her friends in a cellar by her former boyfriend, a local caid (gang leader). While a watch was kept outside, the aggressor, nicknamed Nono, who had bought the bottle of gasoline a day before, poured gasoline over Sohane and set her on fire with a lighter.
As Sohane, engulfed in flames, managed to run out screaming in agony, her death was witnessed by a dozen other students that were coming out of class.
The incident captured the attention of the French and International press and sparked outrage throughout France
. It led to the founding of the feminist rights movement Ni Putes Ni Soumises
.
A commemorative plate in her memory was later desecrated.
On October 4, 2005 a platform was inaugurated in her memory, in presence notably of her sister Kahina Benziane.
On April 8, 2006 a French court sentenced Jamal Derrar (22) to 25 years in prison. Tony Rocca (23) was sentenced to 8 years for complicity.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
girl of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n ancestry who was murdered at the age of 17.
On October 4, 2002 in Vitry-sur-Seine
Vitry-sur-Seine
Vitry-sur-Seine is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:Vitry-sur-Seine was originally called simply Vitry. The name Vitry comes from Medieval Latin Vitriacum, and before that Victoriacum, meaning "estate of Victorius", a...
, South of Paris, 17 year old Sohane Benziane, the daughter of Kabyle
Kabyle people
The Kabyle people are the largest homogeneous Algerian ethno-cultural and linguistical community and the largest nation in North Africa to be considered exclusively Berber. Their traditional homeland is Kabylie in the north of Algeria, one hundred miles east of Algiers...
immigrants, was burned alive in front of her friends in a cellar by her former boyfriend, a local caid (gang leader). While a watch was kept outside, the aggressor, nicknamed Nono, who had bought the bottle of gasoline a day before, poured gasoline over Sohane and set her on fire with a lighter.
As Sohane, engulfed in flames, managed to run out screaming in agony, her death was witnessed by a dozen other students that were coming out of class.
The incident captured the attention of the French and International press and sparked outrage throughout France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It led to the founding of the feminist rights movement Ni Putes Ni Soumises
Ni Putes Ni Soumises
Ni Putes Ni Soumises is a French feminist movement, founded in 2002, which has secured the recognition of the French press and the National Assembly of France. It is generally dependent on public funding...
.
A commemorative plate in her memory was later desecrated.
On October 4, 2005 a platform was inaugurated in her memory, in presence notably of her sister Kahina Benziane.
On April 8, 2006 a French court sentenced Jamal Derrar (22) to 25 years in prison. Tony Rocca (23) was sentenced to 8 years for complicity.
Additional sources
- Liberation article on Sohane in French
- L'humanite : article on Sohane in her sister's words in French
- Time Europe: Acting on the outrage
- Time Magazine: Sisters In Hell
- CNN Transcript: Muslim Women Rebel In France
- Book review Neither whores nor submissives and In gang-rape hell
- Vanity Fair:Daughters of France , Daughters of Allah
- Newsweek: Sexism in the cites