French prosecutors seek two-year ban from politics for MEP Rima Hassan

PARIS — Prosecutors in France have requested a two-year ban from politics and a 10-month suspended prison sentence for Rima Hassan, a Palestinian-origin member of the European Parliament, over a social media post, according to Haberler.com, which reported the case on Monday, 20 October 2026. The trial opened at the Paris Judicial Court on Sunday, according to the same report.

The charge is "terror propaganda." According to Haberler.com, the post concerned Kozo Okamoto, a former member of the Japanese Red Army. Hassan shared a photograph of Okamoto and a quotation attributed to him on 26 March, the report said. In the quotation, Okamoto says he devoted his youth to the Palestinian cause and that resistance is both a right and a duty while oppression exists.

Hassan was taken into custody in Paris in April over the post, Haberler.com said. The report did not say whether she remains in custody, and it did not say when a verdict is expected.

The prosecution made its request on the second day of the trial, according to the report. Haberler.com said that prosecutors argued the post amounted to terror propaganda.

Hassan addressed the court on the first day. According to Haberler.com, national media reported that she described the case as an attempt to intimidate her. She said she was being silenced because of her opposition politics. She also said she was the elected official in the Fifth Republic, which began in 1958, who has faced the most prosecutions over political positions. Hassan told the court she had no option but to exercise her right to remain silent, the report said.

Haberler.com did not report any response from the European Parliament, the French government or Hassan's legal team. The report did not say whether Hassan has responded to the prosecution's request in the court.

The report said Okamoto is known as one of those responsible for a 1972 attack at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, which killed 26 people. The source gave no further detail on the attack or on Okamoto's current status.

Background

Rima Hassan is a member of the European Parliament. The source describes her as a Palestinian-origin politician who is on trial in Paris. Her case concerns a single social media post, according to Haberler.com. The report did not give details of any earlier proceedings against her.

Kozo Okamoto was a member of the Japanese Red Army. The Japanese Red Army was a militant group, and the 1972 attack at Ben Gurion Airport is linked to it in the report. The source did not describe Okamoto's role in the attack beyond saying he is known as one of those responsible.

This report relies on a single source, Haberler.com, a Turkish-language news website. Zenga News has not independently confirmed the details of the court proceedings.