An indigenous Kanak pro-independence activist in the French territory of New Caledonia said on Monday he considers himself a “political prisoner” being held in a mainland French prison on charges related to a series of deadly riots.
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Christophe Thanh, 56, is the leader of CCAT, a pro-independence group that the French government has accused of orchestrating weeks of unrest, a charge its members deny.
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In an exchange seen by AFP, Tain was speaking with two senators from France’s Green party who had visited him in isolation in a prison in the northeastern French city of Mulhouse.
“I am a political prisoner and I am the first person, along with my comrades, to be handed over in this way,” he said.
“I could speak to my lawyer in Noumea on the phone but it’s difficult because of the time difference. I have to get in touch with my lawyer here,” he added.
Thain was one of seven pro-independence activists deported from the area, about 17,000km from Paris, to mainland France on July 23.
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The move sparked renewed violence in New Caledonia.
Authorities have placed Thein under judicial investigation on suspicion of conspiracy to commit attempted murder and other offences.
In mid-May, a wave of rioting and looting erupted in New Caledonia over proposed electoral reforms.
Kanak people fear the plan will leave them in a permanent minority compared to the French on the mainland, denting their hopes of independence.
According to the High Commission representing the French state in the region, nine people were killed and more than 1,500 arrested in the unrest.
Monday’s visit was monitored by authorities and Mr Thein was not allowed to talk about his role in the unrest.
But he said: “At some point the talks will have to resume. New Caledonia’s survival depends on it.”
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On Monday, the CCAT condemned the “colonialist tactics” of French authorities and called for the “immediate release and repatriation” of the detained activists to face trial in New Caledonia.
The French Federation of Human Rights said in a statement that the detention of the activists far away in mainland China was a “serious violation of their right to a private and family life.”
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