On 24 April, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that French investigators and courts failed to adequately protect three minors, aged 13, 14 and 16, who had reported rape. The Court found that the criminal proceedings lacked due care, failed to properly account for the applicants’ status as minors and the vulnerable situations at the time of the events. The judgment found violations of the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 3) and the right to respect for private life (Article 8) in all cases. It also found a breach of the prohibition of discrimination (Article 14) in one case, due to the national authorities’ use of gender stereotypes and ’moralising and guilt-inducing statements’. France was ordered to pay around EUR 60,000 in financial compensation and legal costs. Parliament is currently considering legislation that would explicitly require ’free and informed’ consent in the Penal Code’s definition of rape.  

Sources: AP News, European Court of Human Rights, La Depeche, European Convention on Human Rights, Jurist News, The Local, Amnesty International, Le Monde 

On 27 February, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found a violation of the right to life in the case of a student killed during a protest in 2014. The student died as the result of a grenade explosion as police dispersed protesters opposing the construction of a dam in Lisle-sur-Tarn. The dam project was later cancelled, and rallies were organized in tribute to the student across France after his death. The court found authorities failed to ensure the requisite level of protection to avert risk to life, and found failures of the gendarmerie’s management in the conduct of the dispersal operation. The ECHR ordered France to compensate the student’s relatives with a fine (between EUR 5,600 and EUR 16,000). The ruling highlights police tactics and the use of force during protests, prompting calls for reform and setting a precedent for victims of police violence.

Sources: ECHR (1), ECHR (2), RFI, JURIST, RadioFrance, Le Monde, franceinfo, Public Senat 

In the wake of a national scandal concerning a horrific mass rape, the government announced new measures to combat gender-based violence on 25 November. To improve identification of drug-facilitated sexual assaults and expand support to victims, drug test kits will be reimbursed through the national health insurance programme on a trial basis. Additionally, an awareness campaign, led by the M’endors pas (“Don’t sedate me”) association, will also be launched. An additional 377 hospitals will adopt the current system allowing victims of violence to file a complaint with the police or public prosecutor’s office via the hospital’s emergency or gynecology department by the end of 2025, making it easier for victims to seek justice. The government further committed to increase universal emergency aid for victims of domestic violence from 13 to 20 million euros, and create new shelters for women by the end of 2025. The scandal has sparked protests against gender-based violence across France.  

Sources: France24, AP, Le Monde, RFI, FranceInfo

On 5 November, a court in Lille found 18 people guilty of smuggling migrants in illegal crossings from France to the United Kingdom via small boats. One of the network’s leaders was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a EUR 200,000 fine, while others received sentences ranging from two to 10 years’ imprisonment.  In 2024 alone, more than 56 migrants have died attempting the crossing, underscoring the dangerous conditions of these journeys often in boats exceeding their capacity. Authorities have ramped up efforts to dismantle migrant smuggling networks in recent years, and the judiciary has imposed severe sentences for those convicted. The investigation confirmed the network was one of the main organisers of migrant crossings to the UK between 2020 and 2022, organising an estimated 10,000 small boat crossings, making this a significant step in the fight against organised crime.  

Sources: RFI, Le Monde, BBC, European Council on Refugees and Exiles 

On 30 June, France held early legislative elections. In the first round, 577 seats of the lower parliamentary house, the National Assembly, were contested. A second round of voting took place on 7 July. The newly created coalition of left-wing parties, the New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire, NFP), won 182 seats, followed by the centrist Together (Ensemble) coalition with 168 seats, and the far-right National Rally party with 143 seats. Though the National Rally won the highest vote share in the first round of voting (33.35 per cent of the vote), the second round saw the party fall to third place after other political parties, including those in the New Popular Front and Together coalitions, withdrew 221 candidates to avoid three-way runoffs. Voter turnout was 66.71 per cent in the first round, and 66.63 per cent in the second, significantly higher than the voter turnout in the 2022 legislative elections. In the new legislature, women hold 36 per cent of the seats, compared to 37.3 per cent previously.

Sources: Le Monde (1), Le Monde (2), France Info, Le Figaro, Vie Publique, The New York Times, International IDEA, IPU