A French-Moroccan human rights organization has filed a legal complaint over the death of a 29-year-old Moroccan man days after he was allegedly pushed to the ground by a French police officer during a patrol in a residential neighborhood in Carcassonne.
The French-Moroccan Association for Human Rights, based in Paris, said it had initiated legal proceedings in the case involving the man, identified as Youssef, amid an ongoing judicial investigation in Carcassonne.
Through its lawyer, Cohen Serfaty, the association filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office and said it was taking steps to join the proceedings as a civil party.
The association also wrote to France’s interior minister calling for an independent and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances of the incident and determine any legal responsibility.
In the letter, the organization expressed “deep concern” over the events involving Youssef, who held Moroccan nationality, during a police intervention that is currently under judicial investigation.
The association stressed that determining the facts and assigning responsibility ultimately falls to the courts. It nevertheless argued that when a police intervention raises questions about the use of force, authorities should ensure an independent, thorough and impartial investigation.
Youssef El Idrissi El Hassani, president of the French-Moroccan Association for Human Rights, told Hespress that the case required a detailed judicial investigation.
He cited Articles R. 434-18 and R. 434-17 of France’s Internal Security Code, saying they require police officers to use force only when necessary and proportionate to the circumstances, and to protect the life, health and dignity of people under their control.
El Idrissi El Hassani alleged that Youssef had not assaulted anyone and was speaking with a female police officer before another officer approached him from behind and pushed him to the ground, causing his head to strike the pavement.
“The question we are asking as a human rights organization is not whether we should condemn the officer before the courts,” El Idrissi El Hassani said. “It is whether the force used was necessary and proportionate to the situation facing the officer.”
He said the organization was seeking to have those questions addressed through the judicial process and had therefore filed the complaint through its lawyer.
The association also plans to join the proceedings as a civil party and said its appeal to the interior minister was not based on Youssef’s Moroccan nationality.
“We are not asking for any special treatment for Youssef because he is Moroccan,” El Idrissi El Hassani said. “We are asking for what every human being should have: the right to truth, justice and accountability when a violation of the law is established.”
The association said the fact that an individual was wearing a police uniform did not place them above the law, while the nationality of the deceased should not affect his legal rights.
The circumstances surrounding the incident and the death remain under judicial investigation, and the French courts will determine the facts and any potential responsibility.
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