French police to face trial for 'suffocating' death / Photo: © AFP
French police to face trial for 'suffocating' death
Three police officers will be tried in Paris for the involuntary homicide of a man who repeatedly said "I'm suffocating" during his arrest in January 2020, a source close to the case told AFP Friday.
At least two of the officers have already lodged appeals to that decision.
The death of 42-year-old Cedric Chouviat after being tackled to the ground by a policeman has drawn comparisons to the May 2020 death in the US of George Floyd, video footage of which sparked global demonstrations.
Investigating magistrates found the officers had shown "inappropriate, negligent and imprudent behaviour" during Chouviat's arrest, in a document ordering the trial seen by AFP after first being revealed by investigative website Mediapart.
A fourth, female police officer present at the scene will not face trial.
Chouviat was tackled to the ground while wearing his motorbike helmet during the arrest in Paris on January 3, 2020.
He was brought to hospital in critical condition after losing consciousness but died on January 5.
Six months later, details from an investigation showed that he had said "I'm suffocating" nine times in the space of 13 seconds before losing consciousness.
The revelations turned the case into a symbol of police violence in France, increasingly under the spotlight in recent years due to a number of high-profile shootings during traffic stops and injuries during demonstrations.
The Chouviat case going to trial is "an important step for the family" of the delivery driver, their lawyer Arie Alimi said.
"It's also an important step for addressing of police violence by the judiciary," he added.
"The hearings will be the time and place for important debates about how the police and judiciary work as institutions."
Lawyers William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth, also representing the family, nevertheless expressed regret that the involuntary homicide charge "distorts and conceals" what they called "voluntary" violence against Chouviat.
Pauline Ragot, representing two of the police officers, told AFP she had appealed the December 17 order to send her clients to trial.
D.Vasquez--LGdM
