Overview
- On Friday, June 5, Paris investigating judges issued a general non-lieu that found insufficient charges to pursue criminal responsibility against 14 members of the Cellule de coordination des actions de terrain (CCAT).
- Christian Tein is among those cleared; he was transferred to a prison in Mulhouse and held for months before his 2025 release and return to New Caledonia, and his lawyers say the decision fully exonerates him.
- The original inquiry opened by the Nouméa prosecutor accused CCAT members of serious offences tied to the May–June 2024 unrest, including complicity in attempted murders, association de malfaiteurs, and organized violent acts.
- The Paris public prosecutor has a statutory window to appeal the non-lieu so the judges’ dismissal is not yet final and the case could be reopened through appeal.
- News outlets and defenders frame the ruling differently with some calling the prosecutions politically or colonially motivated, and the decision could shape political tensions in New Caledonia where the 2024 unrest left 14 dead and heavy material damage.