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

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

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 ''Victori ...

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 ...

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

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

former A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the ...

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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It led to the founding of the

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

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 news, press and the National Assembly of France. It is generall ...

. Despite trial testimony that Sohane's death was intended by the accused, a local

Maghrebi Maghrebi Arabic, often known as ''ad-Dārija'' to differentiate it from Literary Arabic, is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb. It includes the Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Libyan, Hassaniya and Saharan Arabic di ...

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 plaque 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 murders in France 2002 deaths 2000s in Île-de-France 2000s trials Murder in Île-de-France French Muslims French people of Algerian descent French victims of crime October 2002 crimes in Europe October 2002 in France Murder trials in France Val-de-Marne Violence against women in France 1984 births Deaths by person in France Arson deaths Arson in 2002 Arson in France 2002 fires in Europe Incidents of violence against girls Child murder in France

See also

Additional sources