Berliner Tageblatt - Family of man killed in 2020 arrest to sue French state

The case of Cedric Chouviat, who died in January 2020 after policemen tackled him to the ground, has drawn comparisons to the death several months later in the United States of George Floyd.

Three police officers are to be tried for the involuntary homicide of the 42-year-old, who said "I'm suffocating" before being taken to a hospital where he died two days later.

His family now intends to bring a further claim of liability against the French state, their lawyers said.

The move hinges on a decision by French rights ombudswoman Claire Hedon, who said police used "disproportionate force" during the arrest in Paris on January 3, 2020.

The officers held the delivery driver in a prone restraint for an extended period while he was wearing a full-face helmet and handcuffed behind his back -- a combination of manoeuvres leading to his death, said Hedon's ruling.

Lawyers for the family said their claim would aim to highlight the lack of internal sanctions or disciplinary proceedings against the officers, who "have continued to serve and lead normal lives".

They are also due to file a motion over the trial's delay.

No hearing date for the three officers has been scheduled more than six years after Chouviat's death.

A fourth, female police officer present at the scene will not face trial.

The family's lawyers have further argued that the charge of involuntary homicide "does not correspond to the facts of the case".

"You cannot call repeated deliberate actions on the body of a man who is already immobilised 'involuntary homicide'," said Christian Chouviat, the victim's father, on Wednesday.

Activists have repeatedly accused French police of violence and racism.

Few police brutality cases make it to criminal court in France, as most are dealt with internally.

A French court in early 2024 gave suspended sentences to three officers over an assault that inflicted severe rectal injuries to a black man during a stop and search in 2017.

N.Fournier--BTB