Justice condemned the state Wednesday October 28 for "
serious mistakes
" for police violence, unjustified identity checks and irregular arrests of minors in Paris between 2014 and 2016.
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Seventeen adolescents or young adults asked for a civil conviction from the State for violence and discrimination committed by eleven police officers from a brigade in the 12th arrondissement.
Aged 11 to 18 at the time of the facts, they first lodged a collective criminal complaint on December 17, 2015, denouncing among other verbal, physical and sexual assaults during identity checks, discrimination and arbitrary arrests.
In this section, three police officers were sentenced to five months in prison suspended in April 2018 for violence, but were released on appeal on October 23.
The rest of the facts were dismissed.
At the same time, young Parisians launched a civil action last year, which the court ruled on Wednesday.
Of the 44 facts denounced, he considered that "
no presumption of discrimination
" was "
demonstrated by the applicants
", according to the judgment consulted by AFP.
On the other hand, in five cases "
the controls were carried out without a regular reason
", he adds.
Read also: Police violence: the Council of Europe pins Poland
In particular, an operation of 6 January 2016 is cited during which “
the person concerned was checked because he fled in the sight of the police, a circumstance insufficient to suspect that he had committed or attempted an offense, or that 'he was planning a crime or an offense.
The court also ruled that the police had used illegitimate or disproportionate violence on five occasions, including "
blows to the face and body
", "
slaps
" and "
strangulation
".
Finally, on nine occasions, “
transport and detention at the police station took place outside the framework provided for by law
”, in particular for “
unjustified
”
identity checks
because the latter was “
already known
”.
The court ordered the state to pay eleven claimants a total of 40,500 euros in damages, as victims of a dysfunction of the public justice service, as well as 18,000 euros in legal costs.
They claimed 50,000 and 10,000 euros each.
“
We are very, very happy with this conviction.
It is important, it is essential
”, reacted to AFP their lawyer, Me Slim Ben Achour.
"
Unfortunately, systemic discrimination was not retained
" but "
we will have other opportunities
", he assured.
In 2016, the state was convicted of “
facial
”
identity checks
.
The Court of Cassation had considered that a discriminatory identity check constituted a "
serious fault
" which engaged its responsibility.
