A date has been set to begin a review of the conviction of the late French Polynesian politician, Pouvanaa a Oopa, who died 41 years ago.
The memorial to Pouvanaa a Oopa in Papeete Photo: Wikimedia
Judicial authorities in Paris said the court of revision, made up of supreme court judges, will revisit the case on July 5.
After a controversial trial in 1959 for allegedly fomenting unrest, Pouvanaa a Oopa was jailed for eight years and exiled for 15, before being pardoned and allowed to return to Tahiti in 1968.
His family unsuccessfully tried to reverse the conviction.
French Polynesia's assembly passed a resolution seeking to reopen the case.
The bids were unsuccessful.
However, new evidence unearthed by a historian Jean-Marc Reignault showed the then government of President Charles de Gaulle wanted to remove Pouvanaa from public life to clear the way for nuclear weapons testing.
When Nicolas Sarkozy was president he gave a special televised pre-election address to Tahiti, saying the files about Pouvanaa would be opened to allow for a possible re-trial.
Today a statue in Pouvanaa's honour is in front of the territorial assembly and a key street in Papeete is named after him.