Chad 7: Europeans face questions
2007-11-06 08:32
Ndjamena - A Chadian judge was to question several Europeans on Tuesday who faced kidnap and other charges for trying to fly 103 children, supposedly orphans from Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, to France.
Originally, 17 Europeans and four Chadians were arrested after the Zoe's Ark charity tried to fly the children out of Chad on October 25.
But three French journalists and four Spanish air hostesses were released by the Chadian authorities and taken home by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday after he carried out a surprise visit to assuage anger in Chad.
Ten Europeans and four Chadians remained in custody. Five of the six detained workers from Zoe's Ark, all French nationals, were taken to the main court in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, on Monday.
21 suspects face all charges
One of them, Emilie Lelouch, was questioned and the others were to be heard on Tuesday, said a judicial source. They faced hard labour prison terms if convicted.
Three Spaniards - the pilot, co-pilot and a steward from the plane that was to have taken the children to France - were also questioned on Monday and emerged from their hearings appearing relaxed and giving the thumbs up.
Their lawyer, Jean-Bernard Padare, said they had responded to all the judge's questions. He declared himself "confident".
None of the charges - which ranged from abduction of minors to fraud and complicity - had been dropped against any of the 21 suspects in the case.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno on Monday, urging him to treat the Spaniards "in the best possible way" within the framework of Chadian law.
He thanked Deby for the release of the four Spanish airhostesses, a Zapatero aide said.
Pilot 'kept out of questioning'
Zapatero was criticised by opposition leaders for his alleged inaction after Sarkozy returned to Europe with seven of those detained.
Junior foreign minister Bernardino Leon rejected the criticism, telling Cadena Ser radio that the government had "worked very hard" for the release of the air hostesses.
The head of the Zoe's Ark charity, another Frenchman Eric Breteau, was questioned on Saturday and took no part in the latest proceedings.
The four local government officials from eastern Chad and a 75-year-old Belgian pilot who flew the children from the Chad border with Darfur to Abeche were also kept out of the new questioning.
Zoe's Ark maintained that its Children Rescue operation was a bid to save orphan refugees from Sudan's Darfur strife. But international relief workers said many of the children seemed to be Chadian and said they had parents.
One of three French journalists arrested while covering the attempted flight and now back in France, Marc Garmirian, said on Monday that the Zoe's Ark people "lied all the time to their staff.