His novel decision, recounts the choice an anti-terrorism judge must make whether or not to release a man suspected of joining the Islamic State. Before writing, the author spent a lot of time researching the role of the magistrate.
Madame Figaro . – Why did you become interested in the work of an anti-terrorist judge?
Karine Tuil. – I, like all French people, was very marked by the many attacks that bloodied France… I had the feeling that we had a lot of information about the facts, about the criminals, but that we knew nothing about the work of the organization. investigating judges. I wanted to understand how these men and women work in the shadows, subject to the secrecy of the order, deeply invested in their duties and so naked that they do not go out without an escort.
In the video, novemberthe teaser
How did you investigate to prepare the character of Investigating Judge Alma Revel?
I wanted to write a great portrait of a strong woman, a woman in action. For two years, I met five judges from the anti-terrorist investigation center, two women and three men, questioned them, listened to them, but I don’t think I would have been able to write this book if they hadn’t. Friends. They are not trusting, easy-to-talk people. They are discreet, secretive. This book is not only the fruit of investigation, but also of friendship. I also met the people they work with on a daily basis. SRS investigators, clerks, criminal lawyers.
“They sometimes face absolute evil”
What did you know about this profession before you got interested in it?
I had the image of an anti-mafia judge, alone against everyone, threatening from all sides, a kind of vigilante. I discovered excellent professionals who work collectively, as a team, who consult and support each other. Above all, I admired their total commitment, their constant concern to remain fair and humane, to never wrongly imprison, to stigmatize the individuals before them. I was reinforced by the idea that they are convinced, invested, passionate beings, not accidentally integrated into the anti-terrorist pole, but I did not know that they had been subjected to such a degree of violence; with violent images. they see the interrogations and sometimes hateful exchanges, the threats they are subjected to. They face complexity and human darkness. Sometimes even to the point of outright evil.
What stood out to you the most in the interviews with the judges?
The concern of making a fair decision that does not have dramatic consequences. When they decide to release someone under judicial supervision, they know they are at risk of attack. But if a person is arbitrarily kept in prison, that person may commit suicide or be destroyed. I wanted to keep this fear, this dilemma in Alma and his colleagues, which is the basis of their profession. In addition, I also wanted to address the issue of personal life in my novel. how can one be an anti-terrorist judge absorbed in his function, a present mother, a wife in love? How can you manage to maintain your privacy when your daily life is so involved due to the terrorist threat? I remind you that I investigated in 2019 in a full investigation of the deadliest attacks.
You are marked by this experience, this confrontation with the pain of the families of the victims who saw their lives taken away, by barbarism and hatred, by images of the dead that haunt you, violence.
Karine Tuile
Do you think that the function of an anti-terrorism judge is embodied differently depending on our gender?
No, there is no gender difference, men and women judge in the same way. On the other hand, I think there is a difference depending on the positions held in the past. Some of the judges I met with had been children’s judges before, so they had some experience and a lot of pedagogic finesse to suspect, for example, young people who had returned from Syria.
In your opinion, do we come out unscathed from working in this service for several years?
No, it’s impossible. You are marked by this experience, this confrontation with the pain of the families of the victims who saw their lives taken away, by the barbarism and hatred, by the images of the dead that haunt you, the violence. It is difficult to leave the service where the pressure was constant, adrenaline, daily. But, at the same time, I also believe that this return is some kind of relief in the form of relaxation. Besides, you cannot stay in this position for more than ten years.
decision, by Karine Tuil, Editions Gallimard (2022).
On video, the November 13th attacks trial was filmed entirely for History
Source: Le Figaro
