The human rights Defender announced, Wednesday, 10 June 2020, Agence France-Presse open an investigation into the arrest of the young Gabriel, 14 years old, who accuses the police of having struck and severely injured in the eye during his arrest at Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis). The teenager had been arrested on the night of 25 to 26 may, while he was attempting to steal a scooter, and, according to a police source, "a fall" before they " rebel ". On Monday, the Interior minister Christophe Castaner said he is "troubled" by the case, on which the public prosecutor of Bobigny opened up an investigation. "The light will be made and the statements of the police officers in this time face to medical expertise ", added the minister, in the midst of a new wave of activism against police violence.

Detailing the course of its investigation, the human rights Defender stated to have been seized, " to the titles of the defence of the rights of the child and control of the conduct of the security forces ", especially after having received a letter from two members of parliament for Seine-Saint-Denis, Christophe Lagarde (UDI) and Sabine Rubin (BIA). "Work is underway ", was added to this advisory body, chaired by Jacques Toubon.

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The lawyer for Gabriel "satisfied"

During his arrest, Gabriel claims to have received three or four kicks in the face while he was on the ground, subdued and handcuffed. He swears to have received a blow to the back of the skull without being able to specifically identify the author. With such a fractured upper jaw and extended to the bones of the left eye, the teen was prescribed 30 days of total interruption of work (ITT).

Contacted by Agence France-Presse, the lawyer for the family of the young man, Me Stéphane Gas, considers that it is "satisfied that an independent administrative authority investigates this matter," he responded. On Monday, he had asked the prefect of police of Paris Didier Lallement to suspend the police officials involved.

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The Defender of rights is responsible for ensuring compliance of the conduct of persons exercising functions of security and maintaining order on the French territory. In its annual report released Monday, the institution said to have saved in 2019 a leap of almost 30 % of the cases related to the " ethics and security ", the majority of which involve the action of forces of the order.