Paris: In a move that opens up the debate on the freedom of expression, the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo has republished the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as the trials of the suspects of the terror attack in 2015 begins on Wednesday.  French President Emmanuel Macron said, "It’s never the place of a president of the Republic to pass judgment on the editorial choice of a journalist or newsroom" amid the controversy surrounding French magazine Charlie Hebdo, as per the news agency Reuters. Also Read: ‘Pattern Of Beijing Acting Increasingly Aggressively Disturbing’: US Hits Out At China For Recent Flare-Up Along LAC With India

Although Macron believes it was important for French citizens to be respectful to each other, and avoid a "dialogue of hate" but he didn't condemn the magazine's decision to republish the cartoon. While making the statement in Beirut, Lebanon the President said the satire did not necessarily convey hate.

The editorial team of the weekly mentioned that now was the right time to republish the cartoons and "essential" as the trial opens.

 French President Emmanuel Macron (FB account)

As a result of French weekly re-publishing the controversial cartoon, French security agencies are asked to remain on a high alert while security has been beefed up across France to avert any violent or even terrorist incidents.

The publication mentioned that it has been often asked to print other caricatures of Mohammed but it refrained from doing so, not because it is prohibited -- the law allows it-- but thought of a good reason to do it, a reason which has meaning and which brings something to the debate.

The paper's attempt leading to a range of controversial issues has made it a champion of free speech for many in France even as it has received flak for toeing a line as well.
In a series of terror incidents on Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris, a total of 17 people were killed.  Even as the perpetrators got killed during the massacre, 14 suspects in the attacks will be undergoing the trial.

 (FILES) In this file combination made on January 11, 2015 of undated handout photos released, courtesy of families on January 10, 2015, shows (clockwise) Yohan Cohen, 22, teacher Philippe Braham, François-Michel Saada and Yoav Hattab, 21, who died on January 9 in a hostage-taking at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris. - French elite forces stormed two hostage sites on January 9, killing the brothers behind the January 7 massacre at the Charlie Hebdo weekly newspaper in Paris and a jihadist accomplice in a fiery end that also claimed the lives of three other hostages. The trial of the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo, Montrouge and Hyper Cacher will take place from September 2 to November 10, 2020 in Paris. (Photo by - / FAMILY HANDOUT / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /FAMILY HANDOUT " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The suspects are accused of providing various degrees of logistical support to the killers. They will be tried at the Paris' Criminal Court over their alleged involvement in the attacks.

Even as the French weekly has a relatively small circulation in France, it went on to print almost 7 million copies of a "survivors' issue" that were taken up by readers in a show of solidarity with the publication.

As per the news agency AFP, the cover of Wednesday's new issue contains a dozen cartoons mocking the prophet of Islam and reproducing images that led to protests at the time of its publication earlier.

It also sparked a debate about the limits of freedom of speech. In an editorial Director Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau has said, "We will never lie down. We will never give up."

"The hatred that struck us is still there and, since 2015, it has taken the time to mutate, to change its appearance, to go unnoticed and to quietly continue its ruthless crusade," he said.