An investigation was opened Monday, November 30 in "
search of the causes of the injuries
" suffered by the Syrian photographer Ameer al-Halbi, a collaborator of AFP and Polka, during the demonstration on Saturday, AFP learned from the prosecution of Paris.
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This investigation, entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), aims to clarify the conditions of occurrence "
of the serious injury to the face of this 24-year-old photographer who had covered the Syrian conflict for AFP and is installed in France for almost three years
”.
A truncheon from a police officer could be involved.
Ameer al-Halbi was on the ground in his own capacity during the demonstration against the “
comprehensive security
” law
and police violence.
"
We are shocked by the injuries inflicted on our colleague Ameer al-Halbi and we condemn this unprovoked violence
," Phil Chetwynd, AFP news director, responded on Sunday.
Chetwynd stressed that at the material time Ameer al-Halbi "was
exercising his legal right as a photojournalist covering demonstrations in the streets of Paris
" and that he "
was with a group of colleagues clearly identified as journalists
".
An "
internal administrative
" investigation
demanded by AFP has already been opened by the police to determine the circumstances of the incident.
In a tweet on Saturday evening, Reporters Without Borders denounced “
unacceptable police violence
”.
Ameer al-Halbi told AFP that at the time of the clashes at the end of the demonstration in Place de la Bastille, he had taken a few minutes before the incident "photos of police officers who were beating someone".
A few minutes later, “
the police arrived and suddenly I found myself on the ground, I didn't realize what happened.
I think it was one shot.
People stepped on me and then someone helped me
, ”said this photographer.
"
I did not have my protective equipment, confiscated by the police during a demonstration of + yellow vests + because I did not have a press card
", he added.
In 2017, Ameer al-Halbi won the 2nd prize in the “
Spot News
” category for the World Press Photo and covered for AFP the fighting and devastation in his city of Aleppo, in the midst of the Syrian conflict.
