Portal:Law/Case/Week 22 2006
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| Dreyfus affair |
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The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal which divided France during the 1890s and early 1900s. It involved the wrongful conviction by court-martial of Jewish military officer Alfred Dreyfus for treason.
The scandal began with the trial and conviction of Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus was sentenced to life in prison on Devil's Island. Numerous efforts were made to obtain a new trial, and Dreyfus supporter Emile Zola was himself tried for defamation for statements made against the accusers of Dreyfus. Legal proceedings against other similarly accused officers became entwined in the controversy. The resolution of the Dreyfus Affair came with a second court-martial conviction, and a pardon.