Yvan Colonna

Yvan Colonna (, ; 7 April 1960 – 21 March 2022) was a Corsican nationalist convicted for the 1998 assassination of the prefect of Corse-du-Sud, Claude Érignac. He was beaten to death in prison by another inmate for "disrespecting Muhammad", sparking riots.

Early life Colonna was born in Ajaccio, France, on 7 April 1960. He was the son of Jean-Hugues Colonna, a member of the National Assembly for the Socialist Party elected in the Alpes-Maritimes and a recipient of the French Légion d'honneur. His mother was from Laz in Brittany. In 1975, his family moved to Nice.

Role in the assassination of Prefect Érignac A banner erected by members of Ghjuventù Indipendentista calling for the release of Yvan Colonna. Many banners and graffiti, in and around University of Corsica Pascal Paoli in Corte, show support for the FLNC and Corsican independence. On 6 February 1998 at 9:05 pm, the prefect of Corsica, Claude Érignac, was assassinated as he exited a theatre onto rue Colonna-d'Ornano in Ajaccio. He was shot in the neck with three 9 mm bullets and died shortly thereafter. The weapon was later found to be one of the guns stolen in the attack on the Gendarmerie station in Pietrosella on 6 September 1997.

The following inquiry resulted in the arrest of several militants, and their interrogation pointed towards Yvan Colonna as the culprit. By the time police went to question him, he had already fled, which sparked the biggest manhunt in French history. Colonna was thought to have left the country, possibly for South America. However, an infrared camera set in the mountains of Corsica, near Vico as surveillance of a bergerie, a traditional Corsican shepherd stone hut, yielded evidence that Colonna was hiding there. He was arrested on 4 June 2003. During his pre-trial internment, he repeatedly claimed innocence, and that he was the victim of unfair press coverage that had convicted him before trial. On 13 December 2007, Colonna was pronounced guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. He later appealed. and he spent the remainder of his life in the Toulon-La Farlède detention centre.

Death On 2 March 2022, Colonna was attacked in prison by Franck Elong Abé, a 36-year-old inmate, reportedly for "disrespecting Muhammad". In response, violent unrest broke out across Corsica. After spending three weeks in a coma at a hospital, he died of his wounds on 21 March 2022, at the age of 61.