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French officers cleared over black man’s death in custody

French investigating magistrates have dropped their case against three gendarmes over the 2016 death of a young black man in custody that sparked violent protests, lawyers said Friday.

Adama's sister, Assa (2nd R) looks on next to a man holding a placard with a portrait of Adama Traore during a march to protest the death of Adama Traore, in Paris
Adama's sister, Assa (2nd R) looks on next to a portrait of Adama Traore during a march to protest his death, in 2016. The magistrates in charge of the investigation into Traore's death have dismissed the case against the French gendarmes who arrested him. Photo:  DOMINIQUE FAGET / AFP

Adama Traore, 24, died shortly after being arrested in the town of Beaumont-sur-Oise, with his death triggering accusations of police brutality and racism, and several nights of protests.

Gendarmes are police-style units often used for law enforcement in rural areas.

Authorities said at the time that an autopsy revealed he had been suffering from a serious infection and that his body showed few signs of violence.

READ ALSO: French police violence: notorious cases

Investigating magistrates were tasked with probing whether the three arresting officers used disproportionate force against Traore whom they apprehended after a chase in July 2016 during a heatwave with temperatures of 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit) during a police operation targeting his brother, Bagui.

The officers were never charged.

READ ALSO: Three French police charged over man’s death during riots

The Traore family’s lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, said Friday he would appeal the magistrates’ decision, which he said was based on “contradictions, inconsistencies and serious violations of the law”.

The object of the appeal was to get the Paris appeals court to order the three officers to stand trial, he told AFP.

Traore’s older sister, Assa, has been leading protests since his death, including an annual commemorative march.

But a court banned the march this year, fearful of reigniting unrest sparked by the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel M. at a traffic stop near Paris in June.

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CRIME

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The head of France's top cinema institution Dominique Boutonnat denied sexually assaulting his godson as he went on trial Friday in a case that has led to calls for him to step down.

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The trial comes as French cinema reels from a renewed #MeToo reckoning that has seen several big names, including acting legend Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual abuse.

READ ALSO: French actor Gérard Depardieu to be tried for sexual assault in October

Activists have denounced Boutonnat’s continued leadership of the National Centre of Cinema (CNC), whose role includes overseeing measures to curb sexual violence in the industry.

His godson accuses him of trying to masturbate him during a holiday in Greece in 2020 when he was 19.

“I looked at him to find my godfather and that’s when I saw someone completely different… It was someone using me to masturbate,” the godson, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court.

Boutonnat responded in court that it was his godson who had initiated the situation and kissed him.

“I feel bad about leaving an ambiguous situation, but to say there was a sexual assault is false,” he told the court.

He was placed under investigation in February 2021 but still reappointed by the government as head of the CNC in July 2022.

Training to prevent abuse has in recent months become obligatory for films seeking public funding via the CNC.

The CNC told AFP that the case against Boutonnat came from “the private sphere” and had no relation to its activities.

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