Current:Home > reviewsAn explosive case of police violence in the Paris suburbs ends with the conviction of 3 officers -Wealth Evolution Experts
An explosive case of police violence in the Paris suburbs ends with the conviction of 3 officers
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-09 07:25:32
PARIS (AP) — A French court convicted three police officers of “voluntary violence” towards a youth worker in a Paris suburb who suffered serious injuries to his rectum after being assaulted with a police baton during an identity check seven years ago.
All three officers received suspended prison sentences. The officer who used the baton to strike Théo Luhaka was given a suspended sentence of 12 months, while the other two present on the scene got three months each.
Luhaka, a youth worker of African descent who was 22 years old at the time, filed a lawsuit accusing the officers of assaulting him during an identity check in February 2017 in Aulnay-sous-Bois, a working-class suburb northeast of Paris with a large immigrant population.
Rights defenders have long complained of French police abusing their powers during identity checks on people of color.
The court in the town of Bobigny, about 9 kilometers (5 miles) north-east of the French capital, dropped the charge of a “permanent infirmity” in its decision on Friday. A charge of rape was dropped earlier.
Despite the light sentences, the verdict brought a sense of closure for Luhaka, the French press reported his lawyers as saying.
“It’s a decision ... that we take as a victory,” said Antoine Vey, Luhaka’s lawyer, according to the daily Le Monde. Luhaka did not speak, but had said earlier that he would be relieved if the police were convicted.
The lawyer for Marc-Antoine Castelain, the officer who received the 12-month sentence, also welcomed the verdict.
“The first impression of our client is the immense relief that, for the first time, in the eyes of France, it has been established that ... he is not a criminal,” Le Monde quoted Thibault de Montbrial as saying, adding that the court had set the record straight about his actions at the time.
Widespread anger erupted after a video surfaced online apparently showing Luhaka’s arrest on Feb. 2, 2017. The incident was followed by a week of protests in suburbs around Paris, many degenerating into violence.
Rioting has accompanied police ID checks gone awry in the past. Most recently, the shooting death of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old youth with Algerian roots, during a police ID check last June touched off days of rioting around France. The motorcycle police officer who fired into the stopped car driven by the young man has been charged with voluntary homicide but was released from detention during the investigation.
In the case of Théo Luhaka, Le Monde reported that Castelain, the officer who used the “telescopic baton,” was also banned from carrying a weapon or patrolling the streets for five years. The other two officers received similar bans for two years.
All three denied wrong-doing and said their reaction was justified because the young man was in “rebellion.”
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- California Proposal Embraces All-Electric Buildings But Stops Short of Gas Ban
- Citing an ‘Imminent’ Health Threat, the EPA Orders Temporary Shut Down of St. Croix Oil Refinery
- In a New Policy Statement, the Nation’s Physicists Toughen Their Stance on Climate Change, Stressing Its Reality and Urgency
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Do work requirements help SNAP people out of government aid?
- United Airlines will no longer charge families extra to sit together on flights
- Death Valley, hottest place on Earth, hits near-record high as blistering heat wave continues
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- More than 2 million Cosori air fryers have been recalled over fire risks
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- 13 Refineries Emit Dangerous Benzene Emissions That Exceed the EPA’s ‘Action Level,’ a Study Finds
- Consumer advocates want the DOJ to move against JetBlue-Spirit merger
- Tomato shortages hit British stores. Is Brexit to blame?
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Inside Clean Energy: The Era of Fossil Fuel Power Plants Is Rapidly Receding. Here Is Their Life Expectancy
- Eli Lilly cuts the price of insulin, capping drug at $35 per month out-of-pocket
- New York Embarks on a Massive Climate Resiliency Project to Protect Manhattan’s Lower East Side From Sea Level Rise
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
3 congressmen working high-stakes jobs at a high-stakes moment — while being treated for cancer
The maker of Enfamil recalls 145,000 cans of infant formula over bacteria risks
Dozens of U.K. companies will keep the 4-day workweek after a pilot program ends
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Maluma Is Officially a Silver Fox With New Salt and Pepper Hairstyle
Tens of millions across U.S. continue to endure scorching temperatures: Everyone needs to take this heat seriously
Cheers Your Cosmos to the Most Fabulous Sex and the City Gift Guide