Paris court reaffirms life sentence for Carlos the JackalJune 26, 2013 - 23:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Carlos the Jackal, once one of the world's most wanted criminals, lost his appeal of a guilty verdict for deadly bomb attacks in France three decades ago, as a Paris court on Wednesday, June 26 reaffirmed a life sentence in prison, according to Reuters. The Venezuelan defendant, 63, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, had appealed a guilty verdict handed down in December 2011 for masterminding four separate attacks on two trains, a train station and a Paris street that killed 11 people and wounded about 150 more. The appeals court ruled that Ramirez will serve a minimum of 18 years of the life term. Before the verdict, the Marxist militant and self-dubbed "elite gunman" who became a symbol of Cold War anti-imperialism delivered a four-hour rambling monologue touching on everything from U.S. foreign policy to Basque separatism and Hezbollah. "I have fought all my life against terrorists," Ramirez said. "We are not terrorists, we are freedom fighters!" Ramirez - who is already serving a separate life term from 1997 for killing two French police officers and an informant in 1975 - sealed his notoriety in 1975 with a daring hostage-taking of OPEC oil ministers in Vienna in the name of the Palestinian struggle. He went on to become an international gun-for-hire with Soviet bloc protectors. But the revolutionary mystique Ramirez once enjoyed - helped by a Che Guevara beret, leather jacket and dark glasses - has worn thin from nearly two decades behind bars in France since his 1994 capture in Khartoum by French special forces, which he calls an illegal kidnapping. Ramirez denies involvement in the four attacks in 1982 and 1983 that killed 11 people and wounded about 150. He says the case against him that took 13 years to build is based on forged documents from Eastern European secret service agencies. Prosecutors say the bombs that ripped through two trains, a Marseille train station and parked cars in Paris were Ramirez's answer to the arrest of two of his gang, including his lover. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |