French justice minister says 217 people jailed over riots

French courts jailed 217 people after convicting them in fast-track trials linked to last weekend’s rioting, the justice minister said Thursday outside Fleury-Merogis prison near Paris. Gerald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been detained since Saturday and more than 1,000 had appeared in court. He defended the judiciary’s firm response as lawyers criticized it as repressive. New protests over grievances including the rising cost of living were planned for the weekend.

Darmanin said half of the 217 people sent to jail had no criminal record and that they were generally men aged 18 to 25.

The justice minister vowed to oversee expedited trials to clear the case backlog quickly and deter further unrest.

As of September 1, French prisons held 90,020 inmates, compared with capacity for 63,348, according to ministry statistics.

Darmanin said the answer to overcrowding was to create more prison space rather than imprison fewer people.

Published Oct 23, 2026 12:26 am KST

Students sit in front of policemen during a gathering against poor education school conditions in Paris, Thursday. AP-Yonhap

PARIS — French courts have jailed 217 people after convicting them in fast-track trials linked to last weekend's rioting, the justice minister said Thursday, hailing the judiciary's "extremely firm" response.

Speaking outside the Fleury-Merogis prison on the outskirts of Paris, Gerald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been detained since Saturday.

More than 1,000 of them had appeared in court, he said, of whom "217 people have been imprisoned... and this figure is continuing to rise a lot."

Darmanin told reporters that of the 217 sent to jail "half had no criminal record," adding that "in general these are men aged between 18 to 25."

"This shows that prosecutors and judges are imprisoning people who, until now, were not known to the judiciary and are first offenders. It shows that the decisions of the judiciary are being applied in an extremely firm way."

Darmanin has vowed to oversee expedited trials to rapidly clear the backlog of cases and to serve as a deterrent. New protests over grievances including the rising cost of living are planned this weekend.

But he has faced criticism from some lawyers who have accused the judiciary of lurching into repression.

France, like many European countries, faces problems with prison overcrowding but Darmanin said the solution was not "to imprison fewer people, but to create more space in prison."

As of September 1, there were 90,020 inmates in French prisons, well above the capacity of 63,348 places and a new record, according to ministry statistics.

法国司法部长周四在巴黎附近的弗勒里-梅罗吉斯监狱外表示，法国法院已对217名与上周末骚乱有关的人员进行了快速审判，并将他们监禁。杰拉尔德·达尔马宁称，自周六以来，已有2700人被拘留，超过1000人出庭受审。他为司法部门的强硬应对措施辩护，而律师们则批评其为压制性措施。民众计划在周末举行新的抗议活动，抗议内容包括不断上涨的生活成本。

达尔马宁表示，被送进监狱的 217 人中有一半没有犯罪记录，而且他们通常是 18 至 25 岁的男性。

司法部长誓言要监督加快审判，尽快清除积压案件，防止进一步动乱。

根据法国监狱和监狱部统计数据，截至9月1日，法国监狱关押了90020名囚犯，而监狱容量为63348人。

达尔马宁表示，解决监狱过度拥挤问题的办法是增加监狱空间，而不是减少监禁人数。

发布于2026年10月23日凌晨12:26（韩国标准时间）

周四，巴黎学生在抗议学校教育条件恶劣的集会上，坐在警察面前。美联社-韩联社

巴黎——法国司法部长周四表示，法国法院已对与上周末骚乱有关的217人进行快速审判并判处监禁，他称赞司法部门的回应“极其坚决”。

杰拉尔德·达尔马宁在巴黎郊外的弗勒里-梅罗吉斯监狱外发表讲话时表示，自周六以来已有 2700 人被拘留。

他说，其中已有超过 1000 人出庭受审，“217 人已被监禁……而且这个数字还在不断上升。”

达尔马宁告诉记者，在被送进监狱的 217 人中，“有一半没有犯罪记录”，并补充说，“这些人通常是 18 至 25 岁的男性”。

“这表明，检察官和法官正在监禁那些此前司法部门并不了解的初犯。这表明，司法部门的判决正在得到极其严格的执行。”

达尔马宁誓言将监督加快审理案件，以迅速清理积压案件并起到威慑作用。本周末计划举行新的抗议活动，抗议内容包括生活成本上涨等问题。

但他也遭到了一些律师的批评，这些律师指责司法部门滑向了镇压的深渊。

与许多欧洲国家一样，法国也面临着监狱过度拥挤的问题，但达尔马宁表示，解决办法不是“减少监禁人数，而是在监狱里创造更多空间”。

根据法国监狱和监狱部统计数据，截至9月1日，法国监狱共有90020名囚犯，远远超过63348人的容量，创下新纪录。