Paris court convicts two for 2022 murder of Argentine rugby star Aramburu

A French court on Friday convicted two far-right activists over the 2022 killing in Paris of former Argentine rugby international Federico Martin Aramburu.

It sentenced Loik Le Priol, a 32-year-old ex-soldier who fired the fatal shots, to 26 years in jail, while the other defendant Romain Bouvier, 35, got 19 years behind bars.

Earlier on Friday, Le Priol asked forgiveness from the victim's family as the trial concluded.

Read morePolice arrest two main suspects in Paris murder of Argentinian rugby star Aramburu

Aramburu was killed at age 42 after a successful career that saw him play 22 times for Argentina and become a firm favourite in France's Basque Country following a stint with local southwestern side Biarritz, where he later lived.

"I am a Christian, just like you," Le Priol told Aramburu's family as the trial concluded. "The pope is in Paris today," he continued, referring to Pope Leo XIV's visit to France. "I don't know if it's a sign, but I hope that one day they will find the strength to forgive me, and that I, too, will find the strength to forgive myself."

He said the requested sentence of 27 years was "staggering – it's the age I was at the time of the incident", he said, adding that "I've come to understand a lot about myself" during the three weeks of proceedings.

'Justice for Fede'

"I will never have the words" to address "the suffering and dignity of Mr Aramburu's family", said Bouvier, his voice choking with emotion as he faced them. Prominent sports figures, such as rugby player Thomas Lievremont and former tennis star and now French Open director Amelie Mauresmo, who lives in the Basque Country, were also present in the courtroom.

The two men, who fired 10 rounds – emptying their magazines – maintained during the proceedings that they had been defending themselves against Aramburu and his friend and former teammate Shaun Hegarty.

While acknowledging their use of deadly weapons, the defence cited childhood trauma in Bouvier’s case and post-traumatic stress disorder for Le Priol, a former marine commando.

Both defendants, former members of the now-dissolved far-right movement GUD (Groupe Union Défense), denied intending to kill Aramburu in their initial statements to the court.

But Hegarty, in his testimony earlier this month, angrily accused the pair of seeking to "evade responsibility" for their actions and said they should stay "in prison for as long as possible".

Aramburu's widow Maria had asked the court for a verdict that would allow their three children "to build their lives as adults".

The trial has also prompted calls for justice in Aramburu's native Argentina, with members of the Pumas wearing black T-shirts bearing the words "Justice for Fede" ahead of a match this month.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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