The investigation into the violence suffered by Syrian photographer Ameer al-Halbi, a former AFP collaborator in Syria, by a police officer during a demonstration in November in Paris, was entrusted to a judge of instruction, said a judicial source on Tuesday.
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At the end of its preliminary investigation, first opened in "
search of the causes of the injuries
", the Paris prosecutor indicated to have opened on April 8 a judicial investigation for "
willful violence by person depositary of the public authority
", confirming a information from the
Parisian
.
The investigations, initially entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), the police force, aim to clarify the conditions in which the 24-year-old photographer received a serious wound to the face, probably by a baton from the police. law enforcement, November 28.
A demonstration against the text of the law "
global security
"
Ameer al-Halbi, who covered the Syrian conflict for AFP, has been living in France for nearly three years.
The young man was that day on the ground as a freelance photographer during a demonstration organized against the law "
comprehensive security
" and police violence.
According to the daily
Le Monde
, which relies on the analysis of a video unveiled on April 7, the same police commissioner clubbed several journalists that day, including Ameer al-Halbi, during a charge near Place de la Bastille, in Paris.
“
Commissioner P.
”, as
Le Monde
designates it
, was leading around thirty officers from a Brigade for the repression of violent motorized actions (BRAV-M).
The investigation could also be interested in these other acts of violence attributed to this commissioner.
"
The situation remains complicated for me morally
", commented Tuesday to AFP Ameer Al-Halbi, satisfied with the progress of this procedure.
"
I try to look to something else, like work, photography,
" said the reporter, who occasionally collaborates with French media and was invited to testify in May at a TED Talks conference.
"
I had a broken nose, there is still a scar and it is harder to breathe in, especially at night, but it is not the end of life,
" he concluded with a smile.
After this violence, Reporter Without Borders (RSF) lodged a complaint against the prefect of police Didier Lallement.