France protests for third week as Lyhanna case exposes justice failings, Darmanin promises digital overhaul

Protests enter third week

Thousands of people rallied in Paris and across France on Monday evening, June 22, for the third consecutive week, demanding a comprehensive law against sexual violence following the rape and murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna. The Paris police prefecture counted 2,500 participants at Place Vendôme, outside the Justice Ministry. Protests also took place in Nantes, where dozens of women performed a choreography to a slam by director Andréa Bescond, while a rally in Bordeaux was cancelled due to extreme heat. Organisers plan to gather every Monday until July 4, and will resume on September 7 if the government does not advance a comprehensive bill.

“Complicit state, criminal state, responsible state, you close your eyes, you are guilty, rapists are everywhere, justice is nowhere, our children die.”

Inspection reveals systemic failings

A government-commissioned inspection report, published on June 22, found a "cumulative loss of time and an absence of procedural follow-up" by both the Auch prosecutor's office and the Gers gendarmerie in handling a rape complaint filed against the main suspect, Jérôme Barella, in August 2025. The complaint was sent by post from Toulouse to Auch and was lost. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the inspection showed that "the chain of protection failed." The report noted that the justice system treated the complaint as ordinary rather than prioritising it, despite allegations of around fifty rapes.

Political response and sanctions

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on June 22 that he had requested the "compulsory transfer" of two gendarmes and opened an administrative inquiry into a substitute prosecutor in Auch, with a referral to the Superior Council of the Judiciary for possible disciplinary action. He acknowledged "serious failings" but attributed them to "personal failings" rather than a lack of resources. Magistrates' unions, however, pointed to chronic underfunding, particularly at the Auch court. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet argued that individual sanctions do not address the systemic problem, noting that a review of 70,000 pending child abuse complaints had already led to 134 people being taken into custody.

“We look for individual responsibilities, we say: 'Here is what didn't work in the Lyhanna case' so once we've fixed that, we've fixed everything. But not at all!”

Darmanin promises 'digital shock'

On June 23, Darmanin announced a "digital shock" for the Justice Ministry, pledging to eliminate paper files within six months by scanning all documents and using artificial intelligence across all jurisdictions. He described this as a structural response to difficulties that exist everywhere. The measure follows the revelation that the critical complaint was lost in postal transit between courts.