Christian Tein (file) Photo: NC la 1ère
The highest court in France has overturned a decision to lock up the Kanak pro-independence activist Christian Tein.
Tein, who is the head of the CCAT (Field Action Coordination Unit) in New Caledonia, had been accused by the French of masterminding the violence that spread across New Caledonia in May.
The deadly unrest is estimated to have caused €2.2 billion in material damage, resulting in the destruction of nearly 800 businesses and close to 20,000 job losses.
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He was transferred to mainland France in June along with six other Kanak activists.
"On Tuesday, October 22, the Court of Cassation in Paris overturned the July 5 ruling of the investigating chamber of the Noumea Court of Appeal, which had confirmed his detention in mainland France ," according to a report by Outre-mer la 1ère.
"The Kanak independence activist, imprisoned in Mulhouse since June, will soon have to appear before a judge again who will decide his fate," the report said.
Last month, he was appointed as the leader of the FLNKS (Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front) by an alliance of parties seeking independence for New Caledonia.
The Court of Cassation rejected the appeal of the other three - Dimitri Tein Qenegei, Guillaume Vama and Yewa Waetheane - who will not appear before the judge again.