The Lyhanna Case and the Failure of the State: When the Rule of Law Arrives Too Late

The death of eleven-year-old Lyhanna shakes France far beyond the borders of the Gers department. Such crimes regularly provoke outrage. But in this case, public attention is not focused solely on the alleged perpetrator. Increasingly, the focus is on whether state institutions fulfilled their protective role—or whether the crime could have even been prevented. The exceptionally frank words of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin mark a remarkable political moment. When a sitting justice minister publicly states that the judiciary "could not protect this little girl," it is not the usual crisis ...