Quebec Man on Trial for Allegedly Intimidating Judges and Prosecutors
Montreal,QC – A jury trial began Tuesday in Quebec Superior court,centering on allegations that Zakaria Rizqy engaged in a campaign of criminal harassment and intimidation targeting judges and prosecutors in the province’s municipal court system. Rizqy faces ten counts related to creating a “climate of fear,” according to the Crown.
Prosecutors allege Rizqy developed “frustration and contempt towards those involved in the judicial system who acted in his cases” over a period of years, culminating in a disturbing document sent in October 2023. The document,titled Future – Mask Off,is central to the prosecution’s case and will be presented as evidence.
“It is indeed a document which is central to the theory of prosecution,” explained Crown attorney Louis Durand-Bluteau in his opening statement to the 13 jurors. “I invite you to be attentive to the words, to the tone used, to the colors, but above all to the photographs that are there.”
The Crown contends the document was intended to “establish a climate of fear” and “disturb” the judges targeted. The identities of the three judges, as well as two Crown prosecutors who also received allegedly “disturbing” emails from Rizqy, are protected by a court order.
Durand-Bluteau emphasized the impact of Rizqy’s alleged actions, describing feelings of “hypervigilence,” “insecurity,” and “vulnerability” experienced by the complainants, ultimately leading a court administrator to report the situation to authorities.
“A central theme in our trial is fear,” Durand-Bluteau stated, alongside colleague Jean-François Paré. “You will have to analyze the fear of the different complainants, contextualize it and determine whether it is reasonable.”
Rizqy is representing himself at trial, but Judge Maxime Roy has ruled he will be accompanied by a lawyer during cross-examination of the complainants, as he is deemed unable to conduct the questioning independently. The Crown’s case began Wednesday with testimony from the judge who received the Future – Mask Off document. The trial is scheduled to last three weeks.
