By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
Seven independence activists from New Caledonia, accused of inciting riots last month in the French Pacific territory, have been transferred to mainland France for pre trial detention, according to local prosecutor Yves Dupas. "This transfer was organized overnight with a specially chartered plane," Dupas stated in a Sunday announcement from Noumea, the territory's capital.
The seven activists were sent to France "due to the sensitivity of the case and to allow the investigations to proceed calmly and without pressure," he added. Among the detainees is Christian Tein, leader of the pro independence group Field Action Coordination Cell (CCAT). Tein, who was detained and charged on Saturday in connection to the recent violence that resulted in nine deaths, including two police officers, was also among those transferred.
The unrest led to hundreds of injuries and an estimated $1.6 billion in damages, stemming from protests against controversial voting reforms. The specific charges against Tein were not disclosed immediately, but Dupas indicated that the investigation includes armed robbery and complicity in murder or attempted murder, as reported by French newspaper Le Monde.
Tein’s lawyer, Pierre Ortent, expressed shock at the transfer, accusing magistrates of politically motivated decisions. "No one was informed in advance about the transfer to mainland France. These are unprecedented measures for New Caledonia," Ortent said. Stephane Bonomo, representing another detainee, Gilles Joredie, criticized the prosecutor's actions, suggesting they were turning the activists into "martyrs for the independence cause," according to Le Monde.
Brenda Wanabo, CCAT's communications chief, was also among those sent nearly 17,000 kilometers (10,563 miles) away to France, as reported by Le Monde.
Riots, barricades, and looting erupted in New Caledonia in May over an electoral reform that would have permitted long term residents to vote in local elections. The French government deployed troops to the archipelago in response. The Indigenous Kanaks feared that the reform would dilute their voting power, jeopardizing their aspirations for independence. The French government has consistently blamed Tein’s CCAT for instigating the violence, a claim the group has denied.