A day after he was attacked by a fellow inmate in Arles prison, southern France, Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna was still in a coma in Marseilles on Thursday morning, in a stable state, one of his lawyers said.
"It is not a question of improvement or deterioration," said Patrice Spinosi, his lawyer and that of the Colonna family, insisting that he was not brain dead.
On Wednesday evening, the Tarascon prosecutor's office said he was in a post-anoxic coma, a type of coma caused by oxygen deprivation in the brain.
Yvan Colonna was attacked on Wednesday by a prisoner convicted of terrorism while he was working out alone, the victim of "strangulation with bare hands and then choking," according to Tarascon prosecutor Laurent Gumbau.
"We are going to do everything we can to ensure that the truth is known about this attack on Mr Colonna," French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on France Inter on Thursday, noting the "tempered words" of Corsican politicians "despite the difficulties".
"I obviously believe that everyone is very shocked by this story. I want to spare a thought for the family of Mr Colonna, I also want to spare a thought for Mrs Erignac and the Erignac family as Minister of the Interior," he added.
Pro-independence activist
The 61-year-old shepherd and pro-independence activist was arrested in July 2003 for the murder of the police chief Claude Erignac, after four years on the run in the Corsican bush.
Sentenced to life imprisonment, he has always denied the facts.
There was anger in Corsica, where there had been long-standing demands for his transfer to a prison on the island.
Requests made primarily by Yvan Colonna, who has been placed under the status of "detainee of particular interest" (DPS), which prevents him from being incarcerated in the Corsican prison of Borgo, were all refused.
"The state was legally responsible for Yvan Colonna's security. If he dies, the prison administration and the entire political hierarchy on which it depends will have to be held to account," his family said on Wednesday.
The president of the Corsican executive council, Gilles Simeoni, also said the state bore "an overwhelming responsibility" for the attack.
His assailant is in custody as part of an investigation by the judicial police for "attempted murder".
On Thursday, the University of Corsica in Corte was blocked by students in support of Colonna, a student union and the university presidency said.
(with AFP)
