Participants in protests against police violence are being tried in France. 742 people were sentenced to imprisonment

Trials are underway in France for participants in recent protests against police violence, TASS reports citing French Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti. 742 people were sentenced to imprisonment, with the average average prison term being 8.2 months. In total, 1,278 court decisions have been made so far, of which 95% are guilty.

Protests against police violence took place in France in late June and early July. They began after the police shot and killed 17-year-old Nael M., who was driving a car, on the morning of June 27 when he refused to show the police his documents and tried to leave. The shooting policeman was detained - he was charged with manslaughter and a criminal case was opened against him. After reports of the death of a teenager near the police department in Nanterre, a spontaneous protest began, which escalated into clashes with the police, and in the following days protests spread to 220 cities. On the night of July 1-2, were detained 718 people during the protests, and the next day - 157 people.

Police violence in France

• According to Agence France-Presse, a record 13 deaths were recorded in France in 2022 after refusing to comply with police checks on the roads.

• Human rights activists highlight the high level of police violence in France, including during peaceful protests. Thus, the police regularly use rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades.

• At the same time, in France there is no independent mechanism for investigating police violence, which contradicts the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.

• France also does not publish statistics on cases against police officers accused of using violence.