French prosecutors seek suspended prison sentence, ban on office for MEP Rima Hassan

French prosecutors sought a 10-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday and a two-year ban on holding public office for European Parliament member Rima Hassan for a deleted social media post citing one of the perpetrators of a deadly 1972 attack at Tel Aviv airport, broadcaster FranceInfo reported.

The prosecution argued that Hassan’s post amounted to “glorification of terrorism,” saying it “trivialized” the attack and “praised its perpetrator.”

The prosecutor’s office also rejected Hassan’s claim that the case was politically motivated, calling the alleged offense “flagrant” and denying that the proceedings were brought because of her political views.

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Hassan, a member of the left-wing La France Insoumise party, has described the case as an attempt to intimidate her and silence an opposition lawmaker.

The case concerns a post published on US social media platform X on March 26 that was later deleted, in which Hassan quoted Kozo Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army who took part in the May 30, 1972, attack at Lod Airport near Tel Aviv.

The attack killed 26 people and wounded dozens.

The trial opened in Paris on Monday and continued Tuesday. The court has not yet issued a ruling.

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