Bengaluru:  As Charlie Hebdo republishes cartoons of Prophet Muhammed in the wake of trial of the 14 accomplices of the attack that took place in 2015, France President Emmanuel Macron says he is not in a position to pass any judgment on the editorial decision.
 
He said, "Beyond the trial that will begin tomorrow (2 September), and I don't have to express myself on this point as president, we will have a thought for all those who fell."

He also added, "It's never the place of a president of the Republic to pass judgment on the editorial choice of a journalist or newsroom, never. Because we have freedom of the press."

He also stressed on the importance of freedoms of various kinds. 

"There is in France a freedom to blaspheme which is attached to the freedom of conscience. I am here to protect all these freedoms. In France, one can criticize a president, governors, blaspheme.” 

What the editorial team wrote about it:

"We have often been asked since January 2015 to print other caricatures of Muhammed. We have always refused to do so, not because it is prohibited — the law allows us to do so — but because there was a need for a good reason to do it, a reason which has meaning and which brings something to the debate."

More on Charlie Hebdo:

In the year 2015, Charlie Hebdo, a publication that is known for publishing satirical views was targeted by Islamists.

Two brothers attacked the office. Armed with weapons and rifles, they killed 12 and injured 11.

The attackers belonged to the terrorist group Al Qaeda. France deployed its soldiers and got the terrorists eliminated.

The attack was carried out to avenge the publications of cartoons in relation to the Prophet.

It should also be noted #JeSuisCharlie had trended then, seeking justice. But as a popular news website adds, left wingers had gone overboard to defend the attackers, saying the cartoons were too offensive.

The cover of the latest Charlie Hebdo issue shows a dozen cartoons first published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in 2005 — and then reprinted by Charlie Hebdo in 2006 — which unleashed a storm of anger across the Muslim world, adds News Strait Times.