A French police officer suspected of involvement in the death of a Moroccan man in the southern city of Carcassonne has been temporarily suspended from duty and placed under judicial supervision after authorities reopened an investigation into the case, according to Hespress AR sources.
The sources said the investigation was reopened following protests and pressure from the victim’s family. Court proceedings are scheduled to begin Nov. 6, according to the same sources.
Youssef El Idrissi El Hassani, head of the French-Moroccan Human Rights Association, which has joined the case as a civil party, told Hespress AR that the incident occurred June 21, during celebrations marking World Music Day. The victim was with friends when police intervened over alleged noise disturbances, he said.
El Idrissi El Hassani said the victim was attempting to retrieve his cellphone when one of the officers struck or pushed him from behind, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground. A video of the incident was recorded by one of the victim’s friends, he said.
According to the rights advocate, the video was circulated after French police had attributed the man’s death to a heart attack. The victim’s family and the association subsequently filed complaints, including one with the interior minister and another through a lawyer with the public prosecutor, while seeking civil-party status in the case.
El Idrissi El Hassani said authorities have ordered a new autopsy to determine whether there was a direct link between the alleged police intervention and the man’s death.
He also criticized what he described as a lack of public response from Morocco’s embassy and consulate in France, saying Moroccan diplomatic missions should play a role in protecting Moroccan citizens abroad.
The French-Moroccan Human Rights Association has called for clarification of the circumstances surrounding the death and for the investigation to establish responsibility, while the judicial process remains ongoing.
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