What happened during the March 23 demonstration? This day of record mobilization against the pension reform has come to an end 457 arrests throughout France. Over the next two days, the controller general of places of deprivation of liberty went, with his teams, to ” nine Parisian police stations to monitor the treatment conditions of those arrested”. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of the Interior on April 17, and made public on May 3, he denounces ” exploitation of pre-trial detention measures for repressive purposes “.
free arrests
The report, attached to the letter, is edifying. The controller describes “ violent arrests”, “systematic searches in my underwear », “unworthy hygienic conditions”, “insufficient individual spaces in the collective cells ” OR “irregularities in the interpellation sheets”. Call the Ministry of the Interior to ” ensure compliance with the laws and regulations applicable to the assignment procedure “.
The totally arbitrary nature of certain arrests is underlined on several occasions: “ Some people have heard police officers decide at random, after trivial discussions, what crimes to charge them. Pre-filled arrest forms were distributed to the officers “, reads the report.
When questioned, the police are sometimes unable to even explain why they made this or that arrest. As reported by our colleagues from France NewsThey ” mention only the orders received to systematically arrest in certain sectors of the capital. Result: 80% of those arrested were released without any prosecution. And the few who were judged in the first hearing often left the court free. Most after spending 24 hours in police custody in appalling conditions, the report said “.
Towards a “trivialization of confinement”
The controller advises on a ” trivialization of imprisonment “. According to the expert, the multiplication of arrests, the classifications without follow-up, the obscure instructions coming from above, ” reveal a massive recourse, as a preventive measure, to deprivation of personal liberty for the maintenance of public order. In accordance with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, however, French law expressly makes the use of a pre-trial detention measure conditional on the existence of a clear suspicion of the commission or attempted crime “. How to explain that it is so overused?
Gérald Darmanin’s reply was officially expected on Monday the 1stum May at the latest. A sign of the scant consideration he reserves for the issue of police violence, the minister finally responded on Tuesday, May 2, late in the evening, exonerating himself completely from the Comptroller General’s accusations which, according to him, ” exceed his abilities “. According to the Minister, the classifications without follow-up are due solely to a difficulty in proving the crimes, which, according to him, does not in any way indicate that they were not committed.
It also promises a more detailed response, once the Paris Police Prefecture has had time to investigate the case “, as reported by France Info. Hoping that the responsibility does not exceed its capabilities.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
