Home » Things don’t look good for Karsenty, French justice—or truth

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Things don’t look good for Karsenty, French justice—or truth — 10 Comments

  1. When I hear Europeans – or Canadians for that matter (and I’m a Canuck) – talking about the `death of freedom’ or `fascist’ USA, I can only think of this case (among many other things…)

    thanks
    Whig

  2. My impression has always been that France and many other countries (Mexico for another) follow the so-called Napoleonic Code, which gives no presumption of innocence to the accused. That is a far cry from our system.

    I first encountered this idea when having to get American sailors out of jail in Tiajuana, Mexico. There they were presumed guilty and had to prove their innocence. Also, they were not entitled to food or medicine while incarcerated. They could pay for it or a relative could bring it to them. Otherwise they starved and got no medical treatment. This was the case fifty years ago and may have changed, but it was described to me as the way the Napoleonic Code worked.

    I’m no legal eagle so my impression could be all wrong. Does anyone know if France still follows the Napoleonic Code?

  3. Heh, I was one of those sailors who managed to find himself behind Mexican bars in Tijuana (and not the good kind of bars). Ahhhh, TJ, I miss you so!

    In my day the local Mex judge was stationed at the jailhouse, wearing a spiffy suit and looking as if he wanted to sell you either a used car or his sister. He called the SP’s, the SP’s showed up to keep things at least nominally fair, and you payed your fifty bucks to be released. It was a business.

    I doubt that enlightened France would give me better treatment in one of their jails. Mexico and France are both corrupt but Mexico is a different sort of corrupt. If that makes any sense.

  4. Cake,
    In my days in Sandy Eggo (1956-58) the Mexicans didn’t notify us when they clapped one of ours in jail. When someone didn’t show up for muster, we suspected he might be held incommunicado in TJ. Our SP did not hang out down there so the Naval Station would send them down the road to investigate. On a couple of occasions sailors were held in jails south of TJ (Roasarito Beach and south) for several days before we found ’em. They were mighty hungry and happy to see the SP.

    Yeah, Mexico has the Napoleonic Code and Spanish payola. You can buy your way out of almost any jam, if you have the money. And they don’t make much effort to conceal it.

  5. I haunted Mexico only when my ship berthed in San Diego and such trips were a real highlight. It was great fun to take the noobs fresh out of Great Lakes and expose them to a dumphole like TJ.

    We always had to provide a half-dozen guys to work SP every night, I’m pretty sure every ported ship must have to do it to because the ‘Armbands’ seemed to be everywhere. I think it was probably a lot tamer than it was in the fifties because of that.

    Still, I miss it because outside of Subic/Olangapo there wasn’t a funner place in the world to raise hell.

  6. Strange that Richard Landes hasn’t posted on the hearing yet. He sounded very depressed in the third podcast on PJ Media.

  7. What happened to PJs Nidra Poller who covered this before? I note that she is not listed as a PJ contributer any more.

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