Sohane Benziane (1984 – October 4, 2002) was a French girl of

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n ancestry who was killed at the age of 17. On October 4, 2002 in

Vitry-sur-Seine Vitry-sur-Seine () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Name Vitry-sur-Seine was originally called simply Vitry. The name Vitry comes from Medieval Latin ''Vitriacum'', and before that ''Victoria ...

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a pop ...

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, 17-year-old Sohane Benziane was burned alive in front of her friends in a cellar by her

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boyfriend, a local caid (gang leader). While a watch was kept outside, the killer, nicknamed ''Nono'', who had bought the bottle of gasoline a day before, poured gasoline over Sohane and set her on fire with a lighter. As Sohane, engulfed in flames, managed to run out screaming in agony, her death was witnessed by a dozen other students that were coming out of class. The incident captured the attention of the French and international press and sparked outrage throughout

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It led to the founding of the

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

rights movement

Ni Putes Ni Soumises Ni Putes Ni Soumises (which roughly translates as ''Neither Whores nor Submissives'') is a French feminist movement, founded in 2002, which has secured the recognition of the French press and the National Assembly of France. It is generally depe ...

. Despite trial testimony that Sohane's death was intended by the accused, a local Maghrebi gang leader, Jamal Derrar, was convicted of torture and barbarity leading to unintentional death. A second defendant, Tony Rocca, was sentenced to eight years for barring the door of the depot as Sohane screamed for help. A commemorative plate in her memory was later desecrated. On 4 October 2005 a platform was inaugurated in her memory, in the presence of her sister Kahina Benziane.

Additional sources

Liberation article on Sohane in FrenchL'humanite: Article on Sohane in her sister's words in French
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20051123230346/http://www.mariebrenner.com/articles/daughters/daughters.html Vanity Fair: Daughters of France, Daughters of Allahbr>Newsweek: Sexism in the citesBBC News: French man jailed in torture case
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benziane, Sohane 2002 crimes in France 2002 deaths 2000s in Île-de-France 2000s trials Crime in Île-de-France French Muslims French people of Algerian descent French victims of crime October 2002 crimes October 2002 events in Europe Trials in France Val-de-Marne Violence against women in France 1984 births

See also

Additional sources