paris in a secure complex embedded within a 13thcentury courthouse france on wednesday will begin the trial of 20 men accused in the islamic state groups 2015 attacks on paris that left 130 people dead and hundreds injurednine gunmen and suicide bombers struck within minutes of each other at frances national soccer stadium the bataclan concert hall and paris restaurants and cafes on november 13 2015 survivors of the attacks as well as those who mourn their dead are expected to pack the rooms which were designed to hold 1800 plaintiffs and 350 lawyersthe lone survivor of the extremist cell from that night salah abdeslam is the key defendant among those being tried for the deadliest attack in france since world war ii he is the only one charged with murder the same is network went on to strike brussels months later killing another 32 peopledominique kielemoes whose son bled to death at one of the cafes that night said the month dedicated to victims testimonies at the trial will be crucial to both their own healing and that of the nationthe assassins these terrorists thought they were firing into the crowd into a mass of people but it wasnt a mass these were individuals who had a life who loved had hopes and expectations and that we need to talk about at the trial its important she saidtwenty men are charged but six of them will be tried in absentia abdeslam who abandoned his rental car in northern paris and discarded a malfunctioning suicide vest before fleeing home to brussels has refused to speak with investigators but he holds the answers to many of the remaining questions about the attack and the people who planned it both in europe and abroadthe modern courtroom was constructed within the storied 13thcentury palais de justice in paris where marie antoinette and emile zola faced trial among othersfor the first time victims can also have a secure audio link to listen from home if they want with a 30minute delaythe trial is scheduled to last nine months the month of september will be dedicated to laying out the police and forensic evidence october will be given over to victims testimony from november to december officials including former french president franois hollande will testify as will relatives of the attackersabdeslam will be questioned multiple times he has so far refused to talk to investigatorsnone of the proceedings will be televised or rebroadcast to the public but they will be recorded for archival purposes video recording has only been allowed for a handful of cases in france considered to be of historical value including last years trial for the 2015 attacks against the charlie hebdo newspaper in paris and a kosher supermarket