The death of Nahel M., killed by a police officer during a traffic check at the end of June in Nanterre, underlines the “need to reform the rules for the use of firearms by the police”, which are “dangerously imprecise and permissive”. , Amnesty International said on Thursday.
“The fatal shooting by a police officer of Nahel M. (…) highlights the urgency of a complete overhaul of French rules governing the use of firearms by law enforcement officials, which are dangerously vague and permissive”, comments Nils Muiznieks, European regional director of Amnesty International, quoted in a press release. “The authorities must (…) also take real measures to combat systemic racism in the maintenance of order in France”, adds Muiznieks.
“The homicide of Nahel M. is a tragic example”
In 2022, France recorded 13 deaths after refusals to comply during roadside checks. The death of Nahel M., 17, on June 27 in Nanterre caused shock waves and reignited the debate on the conditions in which the police use their weapons. A law of February 2017 modified the conditions for opening fire by the police, who were until then subject to the Penal Code and the principle of self-defense, like any citizen.
Article 435-1 of the Internal Security Code (CSI) now provides that they can shoot if they refuse to comply, if they cannot stop the car other than by using a weapon and if the driver “is likely to perpetrate (…) attacks on their life or their physical integrity and that of others”.
“The homicide of Nahel M. is a tragic example of the flaws in the expanded wording contained in article L.435-1: the publicly available video of this homicide shows that the advancing vehicle did not pose a threat to the policemen since they were on the side of the vehicle, and not in front of it”, recalls Amnesty International.