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Defender of Rights Demands Disciplinary Action Against Four Officers in Michel Zecler Case

The formal referral presses Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to convene long-delayed proceedings following an inquiry that found serious ethical breaches during the 2020 arrest.

Overview

  • In a decision published Friday, Claire Hédon cites “grave and numerous” breaches and requests that the Interior Ministry open disciplinary proceedings against the four officers.
  • The inquiry finds disproportionate force and unjustified battering, detailing 29 blows in four minutes that left Michel Zecler with 45 days of total incapacity for work.
  • The authority reports racist remarks during the arrest, a characterization not retained by investigating judges who in June ordered a criminal court trial for the four officers.
  • Despite an IGPN recommendation in July 2021 to convene a disciplinary council, no council has been called; Nuñez, now interior minister, was Paris police prefect at the time.
  • Administratively, three officers remain suspended and a fourth is assigned away from public-facing duties, nearly five years after the video-recorded incident.