PARIS: A French police officer accused of violence will remain in custody as he awaits trial over allegations he and three colleagues badly injured a 22-year-old during riots in Marseille last month, a court ruled on Thursday (Aug 3), according to BFM TV.
Violent protests broke out in several French cities at the end of June and continued for days after a 17-year-old of North African descent was shot dead by a policeman after he failed to comply with an order to stop his car.
His death and the subsequent unrest fuelled a debate about police misconduct and the judicial treatment of alleged abuses by law enforcement authorities.
The case at the centre of Thursday’s ruling concerned the detention of a police officer charged with causing severe injuries to 22-year-old Hedi in the early hours of Jul 2.
The victim’s head is disfigured and his vision impaired due to the impact of a rubber bullet and after doctors operated on his skull, Hedi has said in interviews with the French media. He has said he was also beaten by police.
Source: CNA
