PARIS: A man arrested in Paris during a memorial rally for his brother, who had died in police custody seven years ago, has been released from hospital Sunday (Jul 9), amid calls for more protests.
The calls came with France still on edge after the police killing of a teen near Paris sparked the worst rioting in the country since 2005.
Youssouf Traore, 29, was detained by police on Saturday amid protests across the country that commemorated the death of his brother Adama Traore in 2016, many of them in defiance of police bans on gatherings.
According to a police source, Youssouf Traore was injured in the eye during his arrest at the Paris protest attended by some 2,000 people, and was taken to hospital after becoming sick at the police station.
Youssouf Traore appeared with a swollen right eye and torn T-shirt sleeve in a video posted on Twitter on Sunday, which has been verified by AFP, by the account “Truth for Adama”.
According to the account, he suffered a fractured nose, head trauma with a black eye, and contusions to his chest, abdomen and lumbar.
The account’s managers said a complaint will be lodged “to denounce this serious violence”.
Youssouf Traore was arrested on charges of violence against a public official, having been accused of hitting a police officer at the start of the rally at Place de la Republique, according to a source close to the case.
The charges had been lifted due to his hospitalisation, the Paris prosecutor’s office said, but could be reinstated later.
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