French lawmakers on Tuesday (June 9) held a minute of silence for an 11-year-old girl whose death has sparked outrage across the country after authorities disclosed they had not acted on previous allegations of child rape against a suspect.

The body of the child, known by her first name Lyhanna, was identified on Friday (June 5) days after she was reported missing in the small southern town of Fleurance on May 29, after leaving school. The 41-year-old father of a classmate was arrested on evidence that he was seen with her on the afternoon she disappeared.

After a massive search, the body was discovered on Thursday (June 4) in farmland near her hometown. The prosecutor in the southwestern city of Agen, which is overseeing the case, said medical examiners planned to perform forensic analysis to determine the cause of the girl's death.

The case sparked public outcry after officials revealed the suspect had been accused in several cases involving young girls.

"This little girl was sacrificed on the altar of the indifference of a state whose judicial system has failed, a state mired in denial of the explosion of crime against children," far-right leader and lawmaker Marine Le Pen told lawmakers during Tuesday's session.

The most serious was a mother's complaint in August that he raped her 10-year-old daughter several times. Despite medical evidence supporting that accusation, the suspect was not questioned by police.

France summoned all state prosecutors to a meeting on Monday (June 8) and findings from an investigation into the handling of Lyhanna's case were expected within two weeks.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the government "owes the French people the truth" and that the investigations will "explain the inexplicable." He added that the government plans to propose increasing maximum prison sentences for convicted serial child rapists from 20 years to life.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN SESSION / LAWMAKERS HOLDING MINUTE OF SILENCE IN TRIBUTE TO 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL IDENTIFIED AS LYHANNA AFTER SHE WAS FOUND DEAD AFTER GOING MISSING / SOUNDBITES OF FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU / SOUNDBITE OF LEADER OF FAR-RIGHT 'NATIONAL RALLY', MARINE LE PEN

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 9, 2026) (FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY - ACCESS ALL)

1. FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, YAEL BRAUN-PIVET, WALKING UP STEPS TO TAKE SEAT (MUTE)

2. BRAUN-PIVET TAKING SEAT

3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, YAEL BRAUN-PIVET, SAYING:

"Protection is the primary duty of the Republic. Yet, my dear colleagues, in recent days, the Republic has cruelly and collectively failed in this duty. It has not been able to protect those who should have been protected. The tragic death of 11-year-old Lyhanna has shaken and wounded the nation."

4. INTERIOR MINISTER, LAURENT NUNEZ, AND JUSTICE MINISTER, GERALD DARMANIN, STANDING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, YAEL BRAUN-PIVET, SAYING:

"I invite you to observe a minute of silence." / BRAUN-PIVET STANDING UP

6. VARIOUS OF LAWMAKERS STANDING DURING MINUTE OF SILENCE

7. BRAUN-PIVET STANDING

8. VARIOUS OF LAWMAKERS AND MINISTERS TAKING SEATS

9. SESSION IN PROGRESS

10. FRENCH FAR-RIGHT LEADER AND LAWMAKER FROM NATIONAL RALLY (RN) PARTY, MARINE LE PEN, SPEAKING

11. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FAR-RIGHT LEADER AND LAWMAKER FROM NATIONAL RALLY (RN) PARTY, MARINE LE PEN, SAYING:

"This little girl was sacrificed on the altar of the indifference of a state whose judicial system has failed, a state mired in denial of the explosion of crime against children and a widespread culture of not making waves. This tragedy is part of a larger picture that, with each new revelation, is proving to be truly terrifying and overwhelming. It comes after the Parisian after-school programme case, which revealed a scale of culpability that clearly goes beyond individual wrongdoing, even as silence protected the perpetrators and inaction condemned the young, unfortunate victims to the unspeakable and the irreparable."

12. FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, ADDRESSING LAWMAKERS

13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, SAYING:

"Only the result matters, and therefore, we must act quickly. The first way to act quickly is, of course, to uncover the truth. And as we can clearly see, the question time session in parliament - I'll come back to that - addresses both the appalling tragedy that happened to Lyhanna and her family, and at the same time a broader societal issue. Let's start with the facts. We owe the French people the truth about what happened in this case. And so, this is the purpose of referring the matter to the inspectorates - the ministries of education, justice and interior - which will, it must be acknowledged, have to explain the inexplicable and make comprehensible what seems incomprehensible."

14. LECORNU SPEAKING

15. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, SAYING:

"The first issue is obviously harsher sentences. I've said it before... (LAWMAKERS SHOUTING) It's the associations that are calling for it. You will debate this, ladies and gentlemen of parliament. Stop creating controversy every time a proposal is put forward. We are seeking to act within the bounds of the law, not through political manoeuvring."

BRAUN-PIVET SAYING: "Please, let's let the minister finish."

LECORNU SAYING: "Twenty years imprisonment for serial rapes - you will be asked to debate and increase the sentence from 20 years to life imprisonment for sexual crimes committed against minors." / LAWMAKERS DURING SESSION

16. LAWMAKERS

17. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, SAYING:

"But if resources need to be allocated for children, we will provide them. But don't lie to the French people by suggesting it's simply a matter of resources, because unfortunately, as you'll see, your words will not stand the test of time."

18. DARMANIN ADDRESSING LAWMAKERS

19. LECORNU LISTENING AS DARMANIN SPEAKS

20. VARIOUS OF DARMANIN ADDRESSING LAWMAKERS